Allies of Soul Society?
by GinIchimaru321
Summary: It's been five years since the failed attempt to save Orihime from the clutches of Aizen. Since then, the war has raged on, with no winner in sight. But can a secret that Yamamoto has kept to himself until now be the key to victory? OC-centric later on.
1. Chapter 0: Introduction

What's up, all? As you can see, I've managed to get the beginnings of my second fic on this site. Hooray! I realize that the summary wasn't that great, but I did my best considering the character limit. As I mentioned in the last part, the fic becomes highly OC-centric in the later chapters. But there won't be any signs of some until late next chapter '' Until then, bear with me and sample the intro I've given you as a taste of what's to come. And please, give me any constructive criticism you can. I write not only for myself, but for you all as well. Anything you can give me that will make the work more pleasing to you will be appreciated. That, or a nice juicy review.

So without further ado, here is the intro to my second fanfic ever.

_**Allies of Soul Society: Introduction**_

_Early on in the war against Aizen, Ichigo Kurosaki had bravely led a group of rescuers into Hueco Mundo in an attempt to rescue Orihime Inoue from the depths of Las Noches. The group had included Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, Chad Yasutora, and Uryu Ishida. Without fear of what lay before them, each had every intention of bringing back Orihime to her friends from Aizen's clutches, no matter the cost._

_They had failed._

_For even with the reinforcements of Captains Kenpachi Zaraki, Retsu Unohana, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the rescue team was unable to retrieve their friend. Ichigo had clashed with Ulquiorra, but was unable to defeat the mighty fourth espada once more. But before the killing blow was struck, Orihime had intervened, begging Ulquiorra to spare her orange-haired friend. Surprisingly enough, the melancholy arrancar had complied. Having no choice but to fight another day, the four captains then forcibly removed the rescuers from Las Noches, leaving Orihime behind. Soon after they had left, Aizen had begun his plan to destroy Karakura town. To the suprise of many, General Yamamoto and the other captains were there to meet Hueco Mundo's despot, and Karakura town, along with it's residents, was safely in Soul Society. It was now former captain Aizen and three of his espada against six captains, including Yamamoto himself, and five liutenants. Aizen's grand scheme had failed._

_Or so it had seemed._

_As it turned out, Aizen was not present in the showdown. Shortly after the portals behind the espadas Barragan, Stark, and Halibel disappeared, Aizen's form had vanished, and the realization of the situation suddenly hit all of the Gotei Thirteen captains there: Aizen had fooled them all once more. _

_And there was only one other place he could be._

The night air was cool against Sosuke Aizen's skin as he slowly made his way through the maze-like corridors of the Seireitei, his white uniform billowing behind him. His two subordinates, Kaname Tousen and Gin Ichimaru followed close behind. The three men made no sound as they traversed through their old home, having memorized most of it's many corridors in the long years that they had lived in Seireitei. Even if there were sentries about in the locked-down kingdom, the intruders probably would have had little difficulty in avoiding them.

"Cap'n Aizen" Gin suddenly piped up "mind explainin' what we're doin' 'ere?"

Gin's dark-skinned ally Tousen scrunched his face angrily at Gin's words. "Gin! You don't have the right to question Aizen-sama like-"

"It's alright, Kaname" came Aizen's deep and calm voice, drawing the attention of both Ichimaru and Tousen "I am not surprised that you have questions".

"No, Aizen-sama!" Tousen stammered "I would never question you! I follow all of your orders without second thoughts!". Aizen smiled and let out a chuckle.

"Of course..." said the brown-haired man as he reached up and slicked his hair back a bit more. After several more seconds of silent walking, Gin spoke again.

"So do I get an explaination?" prodded the silver-haired captain.

"Not yet, Gin. But in time" was the answer he got. Gin pouted, but asked no more questions.

After several more minutes of walking through the seemingly endless corridors, Aizen and his loyal subordinates went around a corner and came to a stop before the gates of a division.

Gin let out a low whistle. "Well I'll be. Ya sure it's a good idea to go in there, cap'n?".

Aizen didn't respond. Instead, he placed his hand out before him and recited an incantation under his breath.

"Destructive Art 1: Sho(Thrust)". The giant gates before the three men were suddenly blasted apart, creating a makeshift entrance. Gin winced.

"So much fer our sneaky entrance. We're prob'bly gonna get found out" he said.

"Perhaps" said Aizen with a small shrug "Come now, Gin. Kaname". Aizen calmly proceeded though the wreckage of the gates, Gin and Tousen close behind.

* * *

"I don't understand, taichou" Rangiku Matsumoto whined as she raced behind her captain "Why would the Captain General send us back for?". At the moment, Matsumoto was trailing slightly behind her captain, Toshirou Hitsugaya, as both were running(and sometimes flash-stepping) at top speed through the Seieitei. Running ahead of the two were Captain Soi Fon and, surprisingly enough, Captain Komamura.

Hitsugaya's over-the-shoulder glare hinted at his impatience towards his liutenant. "I would have thought that obvious, Matsumoto" he said curtly "If Aizen was not there at the decoy Karakura Town, then there could only be one other place for him to be. And that is the Seireitei".

"But shouldn't he be at where we have the real Karakura town? Why go back to Seireitei?" Matsumoto asked.

Hitsugaya sighed. "Your guess is as good as mine. All we know is that his reiatsu isn't near where we placed Karakura town. So it's safe to assume that he is somewhere in the Seireitei. Understand?".

Matsumoto gave her captain a cheery salute "Of course!". Hitsugaya could only sigh once more.

"Stop babbling back there!" came the grouchy voice of Soi Fon a few yards ahead of the two "We have to hurry before the traitor causes any damage!".

"She is right. The longer we take, the more likely it is that Aizen might escape" added Captain Komamura, his giant strides easily keeping him close behind the petite second captain.

Several minutes of the group's search proved fruitless. At one point however, the four shinigami were greeted with an unpleasant sight.

Matsumoto spoke first. "Is that?...".

Hitsugaya's expression was grim. "...The First Division's gateway" he finished for his subordinate. The four shinigami were silent as they took in the sight.

"Damn! He's already here!" cursed Soi Fon "It looks like we were too late to prevent all possible damage. But if we're lucky, they didn't go very far. I will head to the Captain General's main complex. You all should search elsewhere".

Komamura nodded in consent. "I will go to the Captain's Meeting Hall" stated Komamura as he stepped past Soi Fon and quickly flash-stepped up the stairs.

"Matsumoto and I will head towards the barracks" Hitsugaya said, nodding in the barracks' direction "If Aizen is not there, we'll alert any division members there to raise the alarm and help us search".

Soi Fon nodded. "Agreed". With nothing else left to discuss, the three quickly went their seperate ways.

* * *

Komamura was deceptively stealthy despite his large size. His footsteps were almost completely silent as he made his way down the hallway leading to the captain's meeting room. The areas he had gone through thus far had been empty, but the fox man was no fool. His ears perked at even the slightest hint of sound, and his body was constantly tensed in a preparatory state. Once the captain of Eight Division was in front of the great meeting hall doors, he came slowly to a stop and took a moment to once more listen to his surroundings.

"This silence..." he murmered to himself "It's not natural...And not a sign of any indoor sentries since we entered the compound. Is it really just Aizen here?".Several seconds passed by, but no other sound was heard. Deciding that it was best to continue his search, Komamura placed his great hands against the double doors and pushed them open with a grunt.

Komamura entered the room and took a look around. Aside from there being no other captains there, nothing was really out of the ordinary. No torches were lit, so the room was extremely dark. Nothing that the fox captain's vision couldn't handle, but it was still somewhat of a hassle to deal with.

Suddenly, Komamura's ears twitched simultaneously. A low voice had suddenly broken the deathly silence in the room, and it spoke a phrase Komamura was all too familiar with.

"Cry, Suzumushi"

A high pitched keen hit Komamura's sensitive ears, stunning him and nearly knocking him unconscious. Stumbling backwards and covering his ears, Komamura managed to steady himself and attempt to locate his attacker.

He saw Tousen then, for it was indeed Tousen's zanpakuto that had just been used against him. The former ninth captain stood in the center of the room, his zanpakuto once more in it's sheath, and his gaze directed upon his old friend. Komamura was at a loss for words. The expression that was upon Tousen's face as he spoke his next words was what Komamura might have deciphered as disdain.

"Komamura...it's been a while" said the blind man to Komamura "It is a shame that I have to kill you here. I would have much preferred to have saved you for another time".

The cold and direct message hit a nerve in the the fox man.

"Kaname...is this truly what you want?" Komamura said quietly, his voice almost a whisper "Wasn't I your friend? Isn't Justice what you want?".

Tousen lightly chuckled. "I thought that I had clarified this a while back when I first left, Komamura. The path that I walk IS justice. It offers the least amount of bloodshed".

The dark-skinned man took a few steps forward, so that he was closer to Komamura. "And as for you being my friend" he said haughtily "you were merely another tool. As if a fool like yourself could ever be considered my friend. I do not desire such trivial things. My only desire is to see Aizen-sama's will carried out".

Komamura's eyes widened in rage, and their blaze reflected eerily off of Tousen's goggles. "TOUSEN!!" His fury now far outweighing his anguish, Komamura let out a feral roar and leaped towards his old friend, one of his hands grasping his zanpakuto's hilt.

"ROAR, TENGEN!!" Komamura drew his zanpakuto from the sheath and slashed towards Tousen. Following close behind the fox captain's blade was an even huger blade held by a large armored hand. Tousen was quick to dodge the straightforward assault, leaping far to Komamura's side and into the air, preparing for another attack.

"Smash his limbs, Benihiko" Tousen said solemnly. With a wave of his zanpakuto, Tousen launched an almost solid wave of blades at Komamura.

With a loud marrow-chilling bay, Komamura charged headlong into Tousen's attack. With a sweep of his free hand, Tengen created another massive arm that easily deflected Benehiko's attack, leaving Tousen wide open.

Surprised by the furious charge by Komamura, Tousen attempted to sidestep him once more. But Komamura was prepared this time. The exact moment that Tousen expertly went to the fox man's right side, Komamura came to a dead stop. With another roar, Komamura launched a garbage can lid-sized fist at the former Ninth captain's face. As if by instinct, Tousen threw up his zanpakuto in front of the attack, stopping the attack from hitting him dead on. The force of Komamura's strike drove Tousen back several yards.

But Tousen had momentarily forgotten about the giant disembodied arm that came crashing down upon him.

Splintered wood flew everywhere as the attack connected. Tousen heaved up a large amount of blood, and he let out a pained gasp. And as the blind man attempted to slide away from his attacker, Komamura's gigantic hand clasped around his throat. With little effort, the fox captain lifted Tousen clear from the ground.

Komamura put Tousen's face close to his. "Is this still what you desire, Kaname?! Is THIS justice? Turning on your comrades and causing a pointless war?!".

Tousen's expression was blank. "I never betrayed my true comrades, Komamura. I have always served Aizen-sama. No one else".

With an angered growl, Komamura swung Tousen around and slammed his body into one of the rooms great pillars. Tousen grunted in pain, but said nothing.

"I swore that I would wake you up with my own hands, Kaname Tousen" Komamura said solemnly "So long as you are in my grasp, I won't let go until you remember what you truly stand for, and abandon the madman you follow".

Tousen chuckled. "So be it, old friend. You had better start trying to convince me. But remember, there is little that you can show a blind man".

* * *

Aizen and Gin continued their ascent up the huge stairway that they were on. Their goal, a huge pyramid-like structure at the top, seemed much to far away for the former third captain's liking.

"Might jus' be me" Gin said wearily, still keeping in step with his master "but I think that it's a bit pointless for the captain-general to put somethin' so high up. I mean, the old man would have a heart attack goin' up these steps...".

"Now now Gin, what is the matter? Surely a few steps aren't enough to stop you?" Aizen's voice didn't show any signs of exhaustion as he peered over his shoulder.

Ichimaru smirked. "Nah, a few steps ain't 'nough to stop me. It's a few thousand that make me queasy". Gin's complaints weren't without their reasons. The huges stairway the pair was ascending went far higher than either had expected. Each step was about twelve feet wide, and on either side of the colossal incline were jagged peaks of stone. Honestly, Gin had no idea how Yamamoto was able to fit all of this into his small division.

Aizen suddenly came to a stop, nearly causing Gin to bump into him in mid-complaint.

"I don't think that you have to worry about walking for a few moments Gin. We have company". Aizen gestured in front of himself, and Gin had to peer around to see what it was that his master was trying to show him.

Captain Soi Fon blocked their path, arms crossed and her face as deadly serious as ever.

Gin smiled. "Well now, ain't this a surprise? It seems that they caught up to us much quicker 'n we expected, Cap'n".

"So it seems" came Aizen's reply.

Soi Fon glared daggers at the two ex-captains. "This is as far as you go, Sosuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru. Surrender now, and I'll kill you quickly so that the Captain-General won't get his hands around your traitorous throats".

Aizen chuckled. "I don't think so, Soi Fon. I suggest that YOU move, before I am forced to kill you. That wouldn't be very pleasant for me to have to do".

Soi Fon raised an eyebrow. "Would it now?".

Aizen gestured at himself. "Of course. Blood is difficult to wash out of my clothing. A king must always look his best you know".

The ninja captain sneered. "Just the answer that I would have expected from you, traitor scum!". Bringing her fingers to her mouth, Soi Fon let out a quick, sharp whistle.

The air was filled with the sound of rushing movement and dark shapes flying through the air. Both Aizen and Gin each took a casual look at their surroundings.

About sixty of Soi Fon's stealth corps warriors were surrounding the former captains. Each had zanpakuto drawn, crouched in silent anticipation.

"Whoops! Looks like we've gotten caught" came the enthusiastic response from Gin as he surveyed the newcomers.

Aizen laughed softly, slicking back his hair. "Come now, Soi Fon. Do you think that these men will be enough to stop me and Gin?".

He got no answer. Unless you count Soi Fon shouting "Attack and apprehend!" as a suitable answer.

The first stealth corpsman came in low before Aizen, shifting his grip expertly on his zanpakuto and driving it upwards. Aizen casually backhanded the blade as it came towards his face, shattering it and sending the man flying off to the side. When that member fell, all of the other warriors under Soi Fon simultaneously leapt at Aizen with weapons drawn.

"I'm sorry, but I do not have time for this" Aizen said simply.

What happened next came as a surprise to Soi Fon and all of the Stealth Corps memebers. Aizen at first seemed to be standing completely still. However, once the warriors came within five feet of the former captain, they were all doomed. Soi Fon could only watch in horror as hundreds of copies of Aizen emerged from his body and struck the incoming attackers simultaneously with their zanpakuto.

There was a shower of blood and agonized screams, and then...silence.

Aizen continued his walk up the steps, as blood rained down all around him. Amazingly enough, there wasn't a drop of the stuff on Aizen's outfit or skin. One by one, all of the dead punishment squad members weapons fell back to the ground with loud clangs. There were no other remains to be seen.

Gin let out a low whistle. "As deadly as ever, Cap'n".

Aizen stopped once more and looked at his silver-haired subordinate over his shoulder. "Wait here, Gin. I am sure that there will be more coming after us".

"Righty-oh, Cap'n Aizen" Gin said, his perpetual smile growing bigger.

Aizen suddenly lifted up his right arm. There was a loud thud as Soi Fon's leg connected with the traitor captain's forearm. Aizen turned his gaze away from Gin back at Soi Fon. She was now only dressed in her stealth corps outfit, her captain's haori still hanging in midair where she was standing moments ago before it flew off over the side of the stairway.

"Now now, that isn't very nice of you, Captain" Aizen said "To attack an opponent who isn't paying attention?".

"Any opponent who doesn't pay attention to the enemy is better off dead" snarled the ninja captain "This is where you die!".

Not one to waste time, Soi Fon kicked off of the ground with her free foot. With blinding movements, Soi Fon expertly wrapped her legs around Aizen's arm, dragging it downwards and bringing Aizen forward. With pure abdominal strength, Soi Fon lifted her torso and thrusted her zanpakuto at her opponent's smirking face.

But Aizen wasn't the overlord of Hueco Mundo for nothing. His free hand quickly intercepted the attack, closing tightly around Soi Fon's small wrist. Soi Fon grunted, but she did not allow herself to show Aizen any hints of her pain.

"Did I forget to mention that I had mastered all four forms of the shinigami's fighting styles?" Aizen said, his grip tightening. "You shouldn't have underestimated me, Soi Fon".

Soi Fon's answer came in the form of a wicked smirk. " And you should not have done the same, Aizen".

Aizen raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" was his only response.

Soi Fon gritted her teeth. "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!!". Aizen's eyes slightly widened as the blade in Soi Fon's hand disappeared, forming the gold and black gauntlet that was Suzumebachi. The long stinger-like protrusion on her finger extended up to Aizen's nose.

Soi Fon's smirk quickly turned into a deadly glare. "Die, Aizen" With a powerful thrust of her arm, Soi Fon's wrist slid out of Aizen's grip and drove Suzumebachi's stinger straight through his head.

"Oh my" said Gin, his smile still on his face.

As Aizen's body disappeared into dust, Soi Fon landed onto her feet and straightened herself. Looking at Gin, she grinned smugly as she gestured towards the air around her. "Take a good look, Ichimaru. This dust is all that remains of your former master. There is nothing else left for you now. Except for maybe a trial, if any".

Gin's smile did not relent. "I wouldn' be so sure, Cap'n".

As Soi Fon was about to respond to Gin's comment, she suddenly stumbled forward. Confused, the ninja captain looked down at her stomach.

A bloody zanpakuto was protruding from it.

"What?...H-how?..." Soi Fon gripped the zanpakuto and attempted to force it back out. But it wouldn't budge.

Soi Fon's body suddenly chilled as she felt warm breath touch her ear. "It seems that Kyouka Suigetsu's _kanzen saimen_ is too much for even you to handle, Captain Soi Fon". Aizen leaned his head over Soi Fon's shoulder, his deceptively soft brown eyes locking with her silver ones. "I was standing behind you the entire time. It's just that I only let you see me now. I'm afraid that the man you just killed was one of your own Stealth Corps members".

"D-damn...you" Soi Fon growled, blood trailing from her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Captain. This fight is over" declared Aizen, as he slowly started to twist his blade.

But Soi Fon wasn't about to give up. With a yell, Soi Fon threw herself forward, freeing herself from Aizen's blade. Once she hit the ground, the raven-haired captain looked over her shoulder and kicked out her left leg behind her. Several stiletto-like kunai flew from her pant leg at Aizen's chest.

Aizen didn't lose his cool. Taking a step back, Aizen whipped his hand back and forth before him twice, deflecting all of the missles.

Aizen used the same hand he had used to knock aside the kunai to smooth his hair. "Really Soi Fon, did you think that would work?". His boasting was cut short as he was forced to sidestep a blade kick from Soi Fon. Her resolve intensified, the ninja woman began a furious assault of strikes at Aizen. Her singles kicks turned into quick combinations, and the combinations came in such swift and vicious bursts that even a captain would have difficulty dodging them.

But no matter how fast she went, Aizen was always able to either parry or dodge with apparent ease. It definitely wasn't a bluff when he said that he had mastered all forms of shinigami combat. And Soi Fon knew she was nearing her limit. Her wound was worse than she had thought, and she could feel herself slowing down, the adrenaline rush of her desperate attack wearing off.

And Aizen wasn't one to miss such details.

Soi Fon leapt up in the air, rotating in a full three-sixty as she launched a powerful tornado kick at Aizen. Unexpectedly, the ex-captain quickly stepped into the attack instead of avoiding it. With surprising strength, Aizen caught Soi Fon's kick by her thigh, nearly toppling her off balance. Stubbornly and predictably, the ninja woman kicked off of the ground and swung her free foot at the side of Aizen's head. Again, Aizen was able to catch her attack. He now had her by both of her legs, leaving the second division captain in a very precarious position.

Now upside down, Soi Fon was running out of ideas. But she wasn't fresh out just yet. Once again, the raven-haired captain displayed her great muscle-strength, snapping her torso up and driving her forehead into Aizen's.

The ex-captain didn't even flinch.

"Getting tired, Soi Fon?" Aizen said almost tauntingly. Soi Fon responded in kind by spitting at his face. Of course, Aizen simply moved his head to the side so that the spit went harmlessly by.

"Binding Art 61: Rikujōkōrō(Six rods Prison of Light)" Aizen chanted. Soi Fon could only watch as six thin but wide blades surrounded her and Aizen and closed in.

To Soi Fon's shock and horror, the beams passed harmlessly through Aizen and slammed painfully into her midsection. Blood erupted from her open wound, and Soi Fon couldn't help but cry out in pain.

The Aizen that was holding Soi Fon dissipated, and turned into a zanpakuto that fell downwards. Right into the true Aizen's waiting hand.

With a flick of his wrist, Aizen slashed upwards diagonally, opening a huge gash from Soi Fon's left hip to her right shoulder. Blood flew into the air in a crimson wave.

"...Bastard..." was all that Soi Fon could say as she slipped from consciousness. The six rods of light that were restraining her disappeared, and her body fell onto the stairs with a thud. She rolled down a few steps before Gin brought up a foot to stop her descent.

Gin looked at his master. "Ya done?" he asked.

Aizen nodded and sheathed Kyoka Suigetsu. "She was stubborn, as I predicted. It was mostly by her own doing that she is now where she is. But enough of that. As I said before Gin, I want you to remain here and intercept any more interruptions. I won't be gone long".

"Whatever ya say, Cap'n" was Gin's reply once more.

"Good. Because here comes those interruptions" Aizen nodded over Gin's shoulder, which Gin also looked over. The sight didn't please him much.

Captain Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, and a huge group of first division members were heading up the stairs straight for them.

* * *

"Gin..." Matsumoto whispered, her eyes slightly glazed over. Hitsugaya glanced at his liutenant and closed his eyes with a frown.

"Matsumoto" he said, taking her out of her daze "I want you to stay here with these men. You'll all just be in my way".

"But Captain!.." she started to protest, but Hitsugaya's fierce stare cut her off.

"Don't disobey my orders. Stay back". The blonde heard the finality in her captain's voice and went dead silent.

His liutenant out of the equation for the moment, Hitsugaya redirected his attention to the obstacle that lay before him: Former captain Gin Ichimaru. The snow-haired prodigy had battled him before, but ever since Aizen's betrayal, Hitsugaya wasn't even sure if the fox-faced man had shown his true power. As far as he knew, the two men could be on entirely different levels.

All of those thoughts and more ran through the Tenth captain's head as be began to make his way to his opponent.

Gin's smile had faltered somewhat upon seeing Rangiku, but he had regained his composure somewhat once he saw 'Ol' Snowball' ,as he like to call the tenth captain, advance towards him. It wasn't an encounter that the former third captain was looking forward to. Gin remembered all too well what Hitsugaya was capable of when taken lightly. Gin had made a personal note to never make THAT mistake again.

Once the two men were about ten steps away from each other, Hitsugaya came to a stop. He surveyed his old comrade with a look of disdain.

"Ichimaru..." he said, with the slightest hint of a growl.

"Toshirou. It's good to see ya so well" replied Gin "Have ya gotten taller?".

Hitsugaya pushed the remark aside. "I'm guessing that you aren't going to step aside?". Gin let out a small laugh.

"Sorry, but 'fraid I can't do that. Orders is orders, y' know" the silver-haired man said.

"Hmph. I thought that would be your answer. Then I suppose I have no choice but to remove you myself" Hitsugaya's hand went to his zanpakuto's hilt.

"Ya sure ya wanna do that? Captain Soi Fon might get in the way" Gin said pointedly. As if to prove his point, Gin stepped aside, revealing the beaten body of the second division captain. Her body was still and unmoving on the blood-soaked steps.

Hitsugaya's eyes widened momentarily, before narrowing into dangerous slits. "You bastard! You're going to use a woman to avoid a fight!?" he snarled.

"That's just like ya, Snowball, jumpin' to conclusions before hearin' the story" Gin said with a slight tone of malice in his usually carefree tone "I'm jus' sayin' that you should move 'er so she won' get in the way". Hitsugaya's skepticism was shown clearly on his face. But Gin made no other movements, other than to put his hands in front of himself.

Hitsugaya sighed inwardly. Although he would rather not trust Gin, he knew that Captain Soi Fon wouldn't last with her wounds. And Gin seemed genuine in letting him move her.

"...Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya called over his shoulder. His liutenant perked up at the sound of her name.

"Yes, Taichou?" she answered, her voice nervous.

"Retrieve Captain Soi Fon and take her to Fourth. Hopefully it will have some members available to help her".

"Y-yes! Right away!" Matsumoto was instantly beside her captain, and she glanced uncomfortably at Gin. Hitsugaya was quick to see the smile falter once again on Gin's face.

Once Matsumoto had Soi Fon in her arms in a bridal-fashion, she carefully but quickly made her way down the stairs. She pushed her way a bit too quickly through the first division members and was soon out of sight.

"...I wonder what kinda things ya said 'bout me to make her look at me like that" Gin said wistfully, as he pushed his cloak aside to reveal his own zanpakuto.

Hitsugaya regarded Gin with a look that might have contained pity. "I did nothing to poison your friendship, Gin. It was your betrayal that made her look at you the way she did".

Gin laughed, though Hitsugaya knew it was far from a light-hearted one.

"Yer right. Who am I kiddin'? But anyhow, shouldn' we get to gettin'? The longer ya take, the quicker Cap'n Aizen is gonna find what he needs".

Although he saw the obvious ploy of Gin's subject change, the information he just gave was too vital for Hitsugaya to ignore. "What? What is Aizen after? Why isn't he trying to make the King's Key? Why go here?".

Gin's smile was creeping back onto his face. "I dunno. He wouldn' tell me. But perhaps..." Gin slid his infamous blade, Shinsou, from it's scabbard and assumed his unorthodox stance "...you can force it out of him after ya beat me".

Hitsugaya took a step back and assumed his own battle stance, drawing his unreleased Hyorinmaru from it's sheath. "Are you ready, Ichimaru?" Hitsugaya said, his blue spiritual aura forming around him.

Gin's own silver aura began to emanate from his body. "Come on, Tenth Captain Toshirou Hitsugaya".

Hitsugaya struck first. With a dash, he closed the ten-step gap between him and Gin and aimed a quick underhand thrust at his opponent's face. Gin was quick to counter, smashing Shinso against Hyorinmaru with a powerful downward strike. Sparks flew from the collision and both fighters pushed against each other with all of their might.

"You'll pay for hurting all of the people who matter to me" Hitsugaya growled, pressing his forehead against Gin's.

In a rare instance, Gin's eyes slid slowly open, revealing ice-blue orbs that were glowing with intensity.

"And I'll kill ya for bringin' Rangiku into danger, _Shiro-chan_" the silver-haired man hissed uncharacteristically. With expertise speed and precision, Gin reversed the grip he had on his zanpakuto's handle, so his left hand was directly under the hilt and his right hand cradled the bottom of the handle.He then shoved aside both his and Hitsugaya's blade to Hitsugaya's right, leaving his torso wide open. With Hitsugaya's body unguarded, Gin planted a kick directly into the smaller captain's stomach, blasting the wind out of him. The force knocked Hitsugaya off of his feet and he tumbled backwards. Like a shark, Gin closed in for the kill.

But Hitsugaya wasn't any normal opponent. Upon hitting the ground, he quickly flash-stepped backwards away from Gin, then flash-stepped back towards him, at the same time executing a sideways slash from the right. Gin's brow furrowed in concentration as he rotated into the attack and parried the dangerous blade aside. Hitsugaya used his momentum to go past Gin and seize the high ground. Pivoting on his right foot, Hitsugaya turned around to face his opponent, and hacked downwards with a yell.

Once again, Gin was forced to block as he gripped Shinsou in both hands and blocked the attack horizontally. But Hyorinmaru was longer, and it being in the hands of someone on the higher ground gave it the advantage in such a deadlock. The cold blade cut deeply into Gin's right cheek, drawing a red line down the side of his face. Hitsugaya adjusted his grip on Hyorinmaru and forced downwards with more weight, hoping to score a deeper wound.

Gin had other ideas. With quickness that only a former captain could possess, Gin slid backwards and out of the deadlock, disrupting Hitsugaya's balance. He landed about five steps down and turned his left shoulder towards his enemy.

"Shoot to kill, Shinso" he commanded. Gin then threw aside his left arm and thrusted his right arm towards Hitsugaya, launching Shinso's now glowing and rapidly extending blade at the white-haired captain. Hitsugaya quickly leaped into the air, avoiding a serious blow but not getting away unscathed as Shinso cut into his right ankle. The steps that Shinso hit were demolished in a shower of rubble.

Hitsugaya continued to rise into the air, slowly swinging his sword before himself. The temperature in the air dropped as he roared his next words.

"Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyorinmaru!!" As Hitsugaya swung his blade in front himself once more, the tell-tale ice dragon began to form itself in the air around him. Taking Hyorinmaru over his head, Hitsugaya launched the torrent of ice and water at Gin.

Rather than backstep to avoid the attack, Gin dashed forth, moving side to side in order to avoid the deadly ice. Once he had ascended about fifty steps or so, the silver-haired ex-captain spun about and launched Shinso's extended blade at Hitsugaya's back. Hitsugaya had to literally pivot in midair to direct Hyorinmaru behind him and thwart Gin's attack. Ice sprayed about wildly as Hyorinmaru absorbed Shinso's powerful blade.

"Can't stay in one spot forever, Toshirou" Gin shouted as he started to slash Shinso in wild arcs at the tenth captain who, to his credit, was avoiding contact thus far. Rather than stay in the air like a sitting duck, Hitsugaya decided to try and take the attack to his opponent once more. He let himself drop back down to the steps below with a quick flash-step, and hit the ground at a run towards Gin. Upon seeing the snowy-haired captain charging at him, Gin retracted Shinso and launched it at Hitsugaya once more. But Hitsugaya was too quick, easily sidestepping the attack with the speed he had already attained in his charge.

"My goodness, this ain' good" Gin said "Guess it's time for plan B". He continued to let Hitsugaya advance, but in the meantime slowly began retracting Shinso's blade. Closer by the second Hitsugaya was advancing, but there still came no defense from Gin. Puzzled as he was, Hitsugaya was more than prepared to take whatever his silver-haired adversary was going to dish out if it meant that he struck a killing blow in exchange. As Hitsugaya lifted up Hyorinmaru for another attack, Gin flashed him a wide smile.

"Sorry, Snowball. Game over". With surprising speed, the fox-faced man started hacking and slashing back and forth. Surprised, Hitsugaya brought up his zanpakuto in order to guard himself. But it was then that he realized that he wasn't Gin's target.

The stairs were.

Shinso's blade cut through the stairway like a hot knife through butter. Without so much a a rumble, all of the sections that Hitsugaya was running on began to slide downwards, crashing into a giant crumbling pile about a hundred or so feet below.

"Damn!" Hitsugaya grunted. Mustering all of his balance and speed, the boy prodigy started to run across broken sections of the stairs that were falling apart.

Again, Gin could only smile. Hitsugaya once more came within five feet of Gin, and it seemed as if he was going to reach his target. All that was reflected in Hitsugaya's green-blue eyes was the former third captain.

Then Shinso burst from the stone below Gin's feet, impaling Hitsugaya straight through his right shoulder.

Caught completely off-guard and his momentum disrupted, Toshiro Hitsugaya fell backwards along with the rest of the falling stone stairs.

As Hitsugaya fell, Gin waved his hand in farewell notion. "Bye bye" he said.

And the captain of tenth division fell down into the cloud of rubble below.

"Well, that takes care o' him. Poor lil guy" Brushing some stray hair out of his face, Gin replaced his zanpakuto in it's sheath.

With Hitsugaya out of the way, all that was left for Gin to do was to wait for Aizen's return. Once he came back with whatever it was he went to get, then they could get out of this whole miserable place. And maybe we could take Rangiku with us too, Gin mused to himself.

The air around Gin suddenly became deathly cold. Hell, forget cold, it was freaking freezing. Gin was actually able to see his breath. He also noticed, with a bit of discomfort, that his feet had become partially stuck to the steps he stood on. Stuck by ice.

"Gimme a break" Gin complained, as he went back to the edge and peered over.

He wisely snapped his head back out of harms way as a huge wave of ice flew up in front of him.

There was a flash of bluish light as someone flew straight up in front of the ex-captain. Said person circled the air above in a figure-eight, before slowly levitating down to Gin's level, his eyes narrowed in agitation.

Hitsugaya had returned. "Daiguren Hyorinmaru" he said, as he flew forward. His opponent in turn took a few steps back, giving the prodigy some landing space.

"Gotta hand it to ya" Gin said, his tone showing that he was at least slightly impressed "yer a tough one to kill, Snowball".

"Hmph. It's a thousand years too early for you to be able to kill me so easily" Hitsugaya retorted. To emphasize his point, he flapped his great ice wings fiercely, raising his reiatsu and kicking up a harsh wind.

Gin merely shook his head. 'I know how yer bankai works. It's not gonna last long, and it ain' gonna be pleasant for ya to swing that sword o' yers with severed shoulder ligaments".

Hitsugaya snorted. "And what of them?".

Gin shrugged. "I'm jus' sayin' that we don' really have a reason to fight any more than we hafta". This brought a laugh from the white-haired captain.

"Do you expect me to buy that? You just spent the last few minutes trying to kill me, Gin. What makes you think I'm going to believe you when you say you don't want to fight?".

"Was worth a try. I was just told to stall ya, not kill" the fox-faced man replied "'Sides, I know how fond Rangiku is of ya. I'd hate to be the one to make her upset".

The tension in Hitsugaya's shoulders lessened slightly. He narrowed his eyes, surveying Gin carefully. Although it was always difficult to get understand Gin through body language alone, Hitsugaya sensed some truth in his words.

"Ichima-...Gin" he said finally, to which the former captain looked at him "Why are you doing this? If you truly care about Rangiku, then why help Aizen? Why didn't you remain on our side and help stop him?".

Gin's face was hard to read at that moment. His customary creepy smile was replaced with a more somber one. "It's somethin' I gotta do, Snowball. All I gotta say".

Hitsugaya's face scrunched in confusion. "I don't understand".

"Jus' promise me you'll take care o' Ran-chan for me, an' I'll let ya go" Gin said, his voice still serious.

Again, Hitsugaya tried to find some sort of lie or deception in Gin's words. And again, he found none.

"...Very well. But Gin, I want a direct answer from you. What is it you are trying to do?".

"Oh look!" Gin proclaimed cheerfully "Ran-chan's back!". Hitsugaya cautiously glanced over his shoulder, still keeping his adversary in his peripherals.

He spoke the truth. Matsumoto was on the other side of the stairway that had not fallen. In fact, now that Hitsugaya wasn't completely focusing on the man in front of him, he was able to make out the fact that his liutenant was calling to him.

Hitsugaya turned around fully, and he gave his overexcited liutenant his trademark scowl. "What is it, Matsumoto!?" he shouted.

Matsumoto seemed flustered as she cupped her hands around her mouth. "It's Captain Komamura! He has former captain Tousen apprehended!".

Hitsugaya could have sworn he heard Gin chuckle.

"And also...TAICHOU!!" Matsumoto's face suddenly paled as she started screaming hysterically.

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow. "What is it Matsumo-".

Hitsugaya never got to finish his sentence. The last thing that came from his mouth was a large amount of his own blood. Metal tore into his flesh as the tenth captain felt something turn a full three-hundred and sixxty degrees in his torso. Through his suddenly increasingly blurring vision, he was able to make out a sword's blade that had erupted from his right lung and was, at least in his eyes, moving slowly upwards until it tore free from his left side, cleanly severing his left arm.

"Tsk tsk, you should know better than to turn your back on an enemy, Toshiro. I'm disappointed" said a voice that the snowy-haired captain knew.

Like a frail glass statue that had been struck by a thrown stone, Hitsugaya's great glacial wings shattered, their pieces showering about him like new-fallen snow. In turn, the ice armor that had been encasing his right arm and feet also broke, raining upon the ground in the forms of hundreds of miniature crystals. All of the ice that was falling into the air was instantly drenched by it's owner's blood.

"Ai...zen..." Hitsugaya was able to cough. Then slowly, ever so slowly, Hitsugaya fell forward. Hyorinmaru fell from his limp hands and fell down into the rubble below.

It's master followed suit, leaving a trail of blood and icicles floating after.

The Prodigy of Tenth Division was no more.

Gin's expression was definitely one of surprise. He had not seen Aizen come until it was too late. Poor Snowball didn't even have a chance. But the worst was yet to come.

Matsumoto could not believe what she had seen. It all looked like things were going so well. Gin and her captain were actually talking, not fighting. And for the first time in weeks, the blonde had actually began to hope that things would finally turn around for the better. She had no idea that she was going to lose her beloved captain.

With no strength left in her legs, Rangiku Matsumoto fell to her knees. She fell to her knees and screamed.

That scream froze all of the blood in Gin Ichimaru's body.

The yellow light known as _negacion_ suddenly encased Gin and Aizen. But Gin seemed not to notice. All he could hear was his Ran-chan...screaming in pain.

"It seems that what I was searching for is not here" Aizen said off-handedly, sheathing his bloody zanpakuto.

Gin managed to shake himself from his stupor. "What was it that you were searchin' for, Cap'n Aizen?" he asked somewhat hollowly.

Aizen seemed not to notice. "Something grand, my loyal subordinate. Something that will make the King's Key obsolete".

Gin looked at his master, genuinely confused for the first time in a while. "What could that be?" he inquired.

Aizen smiled before smoothing back his hair. "Let us put it this way, Gin. The key to a palace is wonderful indeed. But if one knows all of the palace's secrets, then surely a subsitute for a such key could be easily found, no?".

Gin nodded, not quite catching on.

"What I am after is not the King's Key" Aizen said, as he surveyed the quickly disappearing Seireitei. "It is his Memoirs".

Gin scratched his head. "His memoirs? How ya gonna get somethin' like that?".

Aizen chuckled, "That Gin, remains to be seen. Until then, I will continue my campaign until more answers are available to me". The tone of his master's voice definitely cued to Gin that the conversation was over for now.

The silver-haired man sighed. Attempting to find something else besides his master to look at, Gin directed his attention to his former home that he was quickly rising away from. He noticed, with a teeny pang of disappointment, another golden pillar of negacion somewhere in the center of Seireitei. That, of course, could only mean that Tousen had managed to slip from the grasp of his shinigami captors once more.

Ignoring the sight, Gin gazed upon the rest Seireitei and it's surroundings, but his was not a scornful look. In fact, one would say that his face held a feeling of longing.

"Hoo boy" Gin said to himself, a saddened smile making it's way to his face "It's gonna be a long war fo' sure".

_END OF INTRODUCTION_

_pantpant Well, that's it so far. Hope it wasn't too much '' Trust me, I tried slimming it down countless times, and this is as small as it's gonna get...So, decent enough for a review or two?_


	2. Chapter 1: Aizen's Trump Card pt1

Well, due to the fact that I got any feedback at all for my intro, I decided to spend all day on chapter 1. So here it is.

There is also one thing that I should have done in the first chapter. I want to give a special thanks to **AIRIFOX**, who served as my beta reader and as my main source of inspiration and confidence. I have dedicated this story entirely to her, because if it wasn't for her, my lazy ass wouldn't have written anything on this site. Those of you who haven't read any of her works definetely should. I recommend **SEVEN DAYS OF LOVE AND HATE**.

So without further ado, here is the official first chapter of my fic.

**CHAPTER ONE: Aizen's Trump Card pt1**

The hollow moved quickly despite it's rather large size. Easily traversing the broken Karakura Town streets, the lanky spirit's golden eyes moved left and right, seeking prey. It had been a while since the beast had eaten, and a soul or two would do it some good, or so said the hollow's hunting instincts. But in the now nearly destroyed town, there wasn't much of anything to be found that was considered a meal. Most of the town was now populated by broken buildings, damaged sidewalks, and most of all, deathly silence. And as much as the place felt like home to the hollow, who took great joy in despair and emptiness, it knew that merely enjoyment wouldn't fill his endless hunger.

After a moments thought, the hollow decided that perhaps the best course of action would be to gain upper ground. Perhaps then, thought the evil spirit, it would find a morsel. Taking advantage of it's long limbs and natural agility, the evil spirit began to scale up the side of a demolished building. As the hollow began it's ascent to the rooftop, one of it's feet dislodged a worn sign from it's perch. It fell to the ground with a large CRACK!

The hollow froze instinctively in place, it's focus zeroing in on the tattered wooden sign. Several long seconds passed, as the hollow kept it's guard up. After a few more moments of silence however, the hollow merely snickered.

"How stupid of me; almost jumping out of my skin merely because of a sign" the hollow chuckled in it's sinister voice. The beast took one last look at the fallen sign and snickered as he, for it was definitely a male, continued his climb.

The wind blew through the seemingly silent streets, moving the sign slightly. If one were to walk by the sign, they would be able to barely read the faded print. The print that read 'Kurosaki Clinic'.

Once the hollow had reached the rooftop, it slunk over towards the other side of the roof. It surveyed the horizon cautiously, hoping for any sign of a meal. All that it's search revealed was a better look of the mostly demolished Karakura Town. Cursing it's luck, the hollow began began to turn around so that it could continue it's search elsewhere.

It found itself suddenly being knocked off of the building by a powerful force.

With a shriek, the hollow careened over the edge of the building, crashing unceremoniously onto the streets below. It's impact further cracked the damaged street, and sent up a small cloud of dust. Now enraged, the hollow let out one of it's dreadful screams, filling the air around it with even more despair. It's scream was cut short however, when a numerous edges of a multi-sectioned blade cut into it's right arm, cleanly severing it. Once again, the hollow shrieked, and as it stepped backwards grasping the stump that was now it's right arm, the evil spirit's eyes caught sight of something that it really didn't want to see. Something that nobody really wanted to see for that matter.

A tall man had just leaped from the building, descending at a fast rate. His red hair was undone and flying behind him, and his tattooed brow furrowed in concentration as he roared the hollow's farewell message:

"Howl, Zabimaru!". With a swift swing of his arm, the zanpakuto Zabimaru extended from about three feet to twenty, it's many sections held together by numerous fibers. The blade cut cleanly down the middle of the hollow, killing it before it had any chance to mount a decent defense.

By the time the red-haired man had landed and sheathed his blade, the hollow had already disappeared with a final frustrated howl.

The man, known as Renji Abarai, snorted at the insignifigance of his latest kill. This one was a small fry, and he was hoping that it would have at least been a minor arrancar. The wind picked up again, bringing up more clouds up dust so that Renji had to bring up a sleeve of his shinigami captain's haori to protect his face. Once the wind had died down again, Renji turned around and frowned.

"A little late, aren't ya Ichigo?" he grumped, surveying the man behind him with slight irritation. The man that he had addressed as Ichigo just laughed at the comment, taking a moment to run a bandaged hand through his messy orange hair. Ichigo too wore a shinigami captain's haori, although his attitude certainly didn't define him as one. Ichigo returned Renji's scowl with a smirk.

"What's the matter, Fifth Captain Abarai? The hollow give you too much trouble? I didn't realize that they let you fight things of his level now!". The orange-haired man finished his remark by putting his trusty zanpakuto, Zangetsu, into the ground point first so that he could lean upon it. Renji's face didn't contort with rage at the remark; rather, his face had a rather evil grin plastered onto it.

"Yeah, well someone had to do it. Yamamoto couldn't afford to have you faint at the sight of the thing and have us lose another fighter, not to mention find a replacement Third Captain" the redhead sniped back. Ichigo nearly fell over from the remark. In an instant, he was butting his forehead against Renji's, their faces not even centimeters apart.

"What the hell!? I came here to check up on you and you say something like that?!" Ichigo yelled.

"You're the one who started it, you bastard! Don't get in my face about it!" Renji roared back.

"Oh yeah?! What are YOU gonna do if I don't?!"

"I'll kick your ass, that's what!"

"Try it, 'Freeloader'!!"

"I will, 'Strawberry'!!"

Both of the men had zanpakuto in their grips, but before any blows were thrown, their heads were clonked together. Both Renji and Ichigo stumbled back a step.

"OW! What the hell?!" Ichigo shouted, holding his forehead "Alright, whoever did that is gonna get their ass ki-...uh oh...". Renji, likewise, was speechless.

Standing between the two was another shinigami, but this one was a female with raven-colored hair. Her violet eyes were in a glare of agitation at the two much larger men before her and, despite her small size, the two visibly took another step backwards. Ichigo spoke first, or rather, he stammered first.

"Oh, h-hey Rukia. What're you doin' down here?" the orange haired shinigami said, trying to play off as if nothing had happened. He flinched from the vicious look he received.

"That's a good question Ichigo" Rukia said calmly, her arms crossed "To answer you, I was following my captain, as is my duty as Lieutenant".

"O-oh really? Seems like somethin' you would do" Ichigo said, his face returning to it's more confident expression.

"But wait! Why, that's you isn't it?" Rukia exclaimed, as if she had just realized this fact. Ichigo slowly nodded.

Rukia took on a pose of mock thought. "Why, then that means I was following you!" she continued. Her eyes then darkened ominously, warning Ichigo that his doom was upon him. "But then why...why would my moronic boob of a captain be down here, when he is SUPPOSED TO BE AT A CAPTAIN'S MEETING?!". Rukia finished her sentence with a vicious uppercut, easily flooring poor Ichigo. Renji would have laughed, but he knew very well that he wasn't off the hook. His thoughts were confirmed when Rukia swung around and slammed her fist into his gut, doubling him over. The petite shinigami noted with a small bit of satisfaction that it was indeed nice to be taller than someone, now that she stood above her two good, but stupid, friends.

"And you! You're no better! What made you think that you could sneak off from the meeting and go here of all places!?". Renji feebly looked up at Rukia, trying to find air to give his defense.

"W-well...there was this hollow an-OOF!!". Renji's sentence was cut off by Rukia's sandaled foot being driven into his face, making him to fall down on Ichigo and also somehow causing them to hit heads again. Rukia looked upon both of the captains with disdain.

"As if you needed to come down and deal with a minor hollow when you know perfectly well that Uryuu leads a small group down here every so often to clear the place up!" she scolded as she placed her hands on her hips. "Look, I'm not going to just stand here all day yelling at you guys. If you two hurry, you can still make it to the meeting. They probably haven't started yet because you fools are late". Ichigo groaned loudly, but more of annoyance at the coming meeting more than the bleeding nose Rukia gave him.

"C'mon Rukia, do we have to go? Those damn meetings are boring as hell" Ichigo grumped. Rukia looked at Ichigo and sighed.

"They are a necessity for all of us, Ichigo. Those meetings decide important things that we need to do in this war" Rukia explained for the thousandth time. "I know you hate them, but the sooner you get in, the sooner it's done". Ichigo rolled his eyes at Rukia's explaination, but knew that she was right. Besides, the last thing that Ichigo needed was to have Old Geezer Yamamoto to get on his case. Again. With more than a little grumbling, Ichigo pushed Renji off of him and stood up.

"Alright, I'll go to the damn meeting..."Ichigo said bitterly. His face suddenly turned into the picture of mischief as he said his next comment. "But you owe me at home tonight. And I get top this time!". Rukia just gave Ichigo a blank look before returning his mischievious grin with one of her own.

"You don't get top until you can knock me off, Strawberry" Rukia said, sticking out her tongue as she finished. Ichigo responded in kind by locking lips with the petite girl, and slightly picking her up off the ground. Although shocked at first, Rukia didn't sit still for long as she returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around Ichigo's neck while she did so. Renji just shook his head in disgust.

"Get a freakin' room. Whatever happened to 'getting to the meeting on time'?" Renji grumped in a slightly mocking tone as he opened up the gateway to Soul Society while Ichigo and Rukia started getting more into their kiss behind him. He was gone for about five minutes before they finally noticed and, in slight embarassment, followed soon after.

* * *

"Captain Kurosaki! Captain Abarai! You're late!" boomed Captain Yamamoto as the two captains entered the meeting room, almost an hour and a half late. All of the other captains were watching the two at that moment, and more than a few were annoyed. Both Renji and Ichigo had to deal with Ice-Queen Byakuya's stare of death, and Renji almost jumped a foot when Komamura growled at them slightly. Well, he probably just grunted, but with a guy that big, not to mention his canine features, it could easily be mistaken as a growl. Captain Ukitake greeted them with his normal friendly smile, which was expected. Nothing really made that guy grumpy. Zaraki Kenpachi just snickered, and Retsu Unohana (who was now standing near Kenpachi instead of her old spot, and quite close for that matter) flashed them one of her motherly grins. Shunsui Kyoraku seemed as if he was standing asleep, Soi Fon's glare was almost as deadly as Byakuya's, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi's evil grin was probably the most unsettling.

The only three captains that hadn't given the newbie captains a greeting were the other newbie captains, which consisted of Ikkaku of Tenth, who had replaced the fallen Toushiro Hitsugaya (Renji had 'accidentally' let the info on his bankai slip in front of Yamamoto), and Shuuhei Hisagi of Ninth. Ichigo and Renji quickly took their places near them and stood silently. Ikkaku smirked as Ichigo stood next to him.

"What took so long, you dumbass? We've been here over an hour" the bald man snickered to his orange-haired friend.

"C'mon, Ikkaku. I already got it from Rukia, I don't need it from you" Ichigo retorted under his breath, making sure not to attract Yamamoto's attention, although he figured that the old man probably knew they were talking anyway. After a few more moments of uncomfortable silence, the wizened old general cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Now that EVERYONE is here" he said, putting extra emphasize on 'everyone' "I can now relay to you the latest information regarding the war. Losses have risen once again, rising at least five percent more than the last four months. We have yet to breach Hueco Mundo's walls in our siege campaign, and losses there have been especially heavy. We have lost untold amounts of equipment there as well". Ichigo's spirit slightly sank at the news, but looking around at the senior captains, he could tell that it damaged their pride to a higher degree. Ichigo was always amazed at how calm they all were during these gatherings, even in the face of really bad news. Yamamoto let the information that he had just given sink in before he continued.

"There is more, of course. According to our Second Division's stealth corps, we have discovered that Aizen's forces are planning an attack upon the Black Ridge Gate sometime in the next four hours. Once again, we are indebted to Captain Soi Fon and her division." Soi Fon nodded at the compliment, taking time to adjust her broken left arm in it's sling. Komamura spoke then.

"Is there an estimate of how many are going to attack?" asked the beast man with a tone of concern. Yamamoto's eyes shifted over to Komamura and he coughed slightly before answering.

"There are an estimated four-hundred arrancar, led by Tenth Espada Yammi. I plan on sending Captains Madarame, Kurosaki, and Soi Fon with a part of our Kido Corps added to the amount of men they decide to bring". More than a few captains were surprised at the Captain-General's words. Except for the ninja captain herself that is.

"I will perform to the best of my abilities, Yamamoto-soutaichou" she said solemnly. Captain Ukitake wasn't so quick to let the matter rest at that.

"But Captain Soi Fon is injured!" the sickly captain said, looking at Yamamoto with an expression of surprise on his face. "She should be given time to fully recover her injuries, Yamamoto-san!".

"Captain Soi Fon is an accomplished warrior, and is the only one who can effectively lead her stealth corps into battle. This decision is one only of common sense. That is unless, Jushiro, you have a suitable replacement?" Yamamoto finished his sentence with a glare, silencing Ukitake and everyone else who had objections.

"There is one more matter that I wish to address. It is of utmost importance, and-".

"ALERT! ALERT! LARGE ARRANCAR FORCE ADVANCING TOWARDS THE BLACK RIDGE GATE! EMERGENCY!".

All of the captains seemed more than troubled at this announcement, particularly the ones who had to go. The message was replayed several more times before the elderly Yamamoto spoke once more.

"I will continue my report to you all when this situation is taken care of. Captain Soi Fon; lead Captains Madarame and Kurosaki to the gate. The force I have sent to assist you will be there already. Do not forget to take some men from your division with you." Soi Fon nodded and gave a quick 'yes sir' before she motioned for Ichigo and Ikkaku to follow her out of the meeting room. Once they left, Captain Shuuhei coughed slightly.

"I would like to join in the defense, if that is fine with the Captain-General" Shuuhei said.

Yamamoto turned his gaze upon the dark-haired man "Why is this?".

"With all due respect, Captain General, losses have been incredibly high as you said. I wish to act as reinforcements to our main force, just in case the enemy have something planned. It is just a suggestion".

The old man closed his eyes momentarily. After a few moments of thought, he nodded. "Granted. Make haste, Captain Hisagi. You must catch up with the rest and let them know of your plans".

Shuuhei nodded. "Understood, Captain General. Thank you". He offered a quick bow before hurrying out of the meeting hall. Once he was gone, every other senior captain as one stared at Yamamoto expectantly.

"Sooo...what was it you were saying before announcements, Yama-ji?" Captain Shunsui said casually. A bit too casually.

Yamamoto, sensing what was about to happen, thumped his staff upon the ground.

"The rest of you, take your positions!" he barked "Keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. You are dismissed!". All of the captains were stunned by the obvious rejection. But if any one of them was willing to complain about it, it wasn't very obvious by the silence. One by one, all of the senior captains left, all of them wondering what it was that their captain-general was about to tell them all, and more than a few grumbling.

* * *

Yammi, Tenth Espada under Aizen, continued lumbering alongside his marching host of arrancar towards the Soul Society gate. His simple mind was filled with thoughts of conquest and Aizen-sama showering him with untold amounts of praise. The army that he was leading now was four-hundred strong, mostly full of eager newly-spawned arrancar, each hoping to attain a number of some sort or, in more than a few minds, to attain Yammi's coveted position in the esteemed Espada.

Yammi was also ordered to monitor a few 'hopefuls' to replace the former espada that had fallen in Ichigo and friend's last raid to rescue Orihime Inoue years ago, which numbered more than just a few. There were four spots that needed to be filled, and Aizen had emphasized the importance of the replacements greatly enough so that even Yammi could understand.

"Alright you bastards!" roared Yammi, cracking his knuckles as he spoke."Get over to those gates and knock 'em down! Anybody you see on the way, feel free to crush them!". The arrancar army cheered loudly, and Yammi was intent on feeding the fire.

"Crush 'em all! For Aizen-sama!!" Yammi finished his shout by raising his fist into the air. The mob of arrancar needed no second bidding as they all tore down the road towards the Seireitei, all drawing their zanpakuto.

A massive explosion in the center of the army halted that momentum dead.

Screams tore into the air as disembodied body parts flew all over the surviving arrancar that weren't hit by the blast. Yammi looked on in confusion, not understanding where the blast came from. Half of the arrancar began to flee, while some just stood in the same spot in their confusion. The ones that were attempting to flee however, found themselves running back towards the gate when Yammi threatened to blast them apart with a cero. While the terrified arrancar army once again tried to rush the gate, Yammi began to search for the source of the attack, grumbling all the while.

"Yammi-san, I believe the blast came from above the gate" said a soft mellow voice from behind him. Yammi turned around, fully prepared to pummel the insolent underling who refused to charge out with the rest. But when Yammi got a good look at the speaker, he recognized her as one of Aizen's hopefuls.

She was of medium height, somewhere around five foot seven. Her face was young and childish, her cheeks slightly flushed and full of vitality, but her almond shaped pale blue eyes gave her the look of one who has seen many things and has experienced all there is. Her short black hair was spiked backwards, with a thin braid going over her left shoulder. Her clothing consisted of a short white top that revealed her entire midsection, including the hollow hole above her navel, and of baggy loose black pants. Rather than the standard sandals, she wore boots, with steel rims and two straps on each boot. Strapped across her back was her zanpakuto, but it wasn't like the typical katana. It was a rather large blade, almost like a claymore in design, with a wing-like hilt, and with navy blue wrappings on the handle.

"Eh? You're one of Aizen's choices for a replacement, ain't ya?" Yammi said, although it was more in the form of a question than a flat-out declaration. The woman smiled, all too understanding of the simplicity of her current leader.

"That is correct, Yammi-san. I am known as arrancar seventy-five Arcelia Ramos. Aizen-sama has selected me and a few others to go on this mission to see if we qualify as espada. I am honored to have been chosen, and intend to do my best to impress Aizen-sama" Yammi was somewhat stunned by the female ararrancar's soft voice, which betrayed her appearance. But before he could say anything else, the woman was gone in a quick burst of sonido.

Yammi scratched his head one final time before charging out with the rest of his men.

...

The Kido Corp silently applauded themselves for their perfect execution of the first kido blast they had directed into the center of the arrancar force. They knew that their celebration was too premature however, and each member wasn't very surprised when the arrancar renewed their charge after the initial blast. The leader of the group quickly barked out a few orders, and the men were once again in line. All in unison, they began to chant.

"Ruler, the mask of blood and flesh, all things in the universe that fly, that which names all! In the name of truth and temperance, dig your claws into the wall of sinless dreams!" All of the shinigami utop the gate placed their hands before them, the bluish glow of their spell much stronger than it would have been if they were alone. The leader called out to his men in that instant.

"Get ready, guys! We have to land this in the front of their gr-AARGH!!". A burst of blood sprayed into the air as the leader of the Kido Corps was cut cleanly in half. All of the other men's kido instantly died out in their panic as they all backed up and reached for their zanpakuto.

Yet another was cut down, only this time it was the unfortunate soul's head being lopped off from the shoulders.

"Wh-what is happening?!" said one of the corps members, his zanpakuto out in front of him. His question was answered almost immediatly, but not in a way that was preferable to him. All of the other members looked on in stunned silence as the poor man was impaled through his chest and out from his back. He was then lifted into the air by a large blade, and tossed unceremoniously over the edge. The Kido Corps members were shocked when they saw female arrancar levitating near the edge of the top of the gate, her now bloody zanpakuto over her shoulder. The woman looked at every member, her face a mask of slight amusement.

"There is no need to fear me any longer" she said in a shockingly soft voice, which unsettled all of the men before her. "You no longer pose any threat to us, and I will not prove myself worthy to Aizen-sama by killing those who cannot defend themselves. I wish to battle against someone of higher ranking, if you please". When there was no answer besides a few frightened whimpers, the woman simply sighed.

"If you cannot lead me to any, then I unfortunately have to slaughter you one at a time until someone decides to rescue you all".

The tension was almost too much to bear, but for one of the corpsmen, it was more than he could handle. With a terrified shriek, the man rushed the arrancar with his zanpakuto above his head, hoping to damage the terrifying female. Nobody heard her chuckle over the man's yelling.

"A pity..." she said sadly, as she slowly brought up her left hand before her. Each finger began to crackle with black energy as the man came closer. Upon seeing her hand being raised, the charging man froze in place. All of his friends called out to him to move, but their voices couldn't reach him. Only one word reached his ears in that moment.

"Cero". Four thin, solid black beams converged into the center of the arrancar woman's palm, and fired out into a twisted torrent of destruction, it's low hum vibrating the air as it tore towards the unfortunate man.

Everyone barely saw what happened next. All they saw was a flash of light coming from the side of the panic stricken shinigami. The cero was suddenly knocked upwards, shattering the ground in a small radius and leaving a crackling trail as it flew skywards. The arrancar woman's eyes widened, but she wasn't caught completely off guard as a blade came flying towards her face. With lightning quick reflexes that only skilled warriors possess, she quickly brought her gigantic zanpakuto before her and blocked the attack. She then found herself face to face with another man. He wore the white haori of a gotei thirteen captain, and his eyes were framed with strange red markings. What amused the woman the most out all this man's traits however, was the incredibly shiny bald head that he had, which the arrancar guessed was what caused the bright flash she saw intercept her cero. She smiled in excitement before she spoke to the man before her.

"Arrancar Setenta y dos, Arcelia Ramos" the woman politely introduced herself to her opponent. The bald man grinned in a shark-like manner as he spoke next.

"Captain of Tenth Division, Ikkaku Madarame" he answered, his excitement easily revealed in his introduction.

"I hope that you are prepared to fall" Arcelia said cooly."I must bring the head of somebody of your status to Aizen-Sama so that I may become an Espada". With a small push, the woman created some distance between herself and Ikkaku, hoping to take a better measure of her opponent. She then took notice of the man's peculiar zanpakuto. It looked like a spear, with a red tasset at the end of it. There was something about it that interested Arcelia, but she wasn't quite sure what it was. Ikkaku noticed her stare and smirked.

"Noticed Hozukimaru, eh? I figured that I gave you a good enough look at him when his blade was in your face".

Arcelia accepted the remark."Hozukimaru? That is the name of your zanpakuto?" she asked, her pale-eyed gaze traveling over Hozukimaru's form once more.

Ikkaku nodded. "Yeah, but don't get deceived by him and his tough-ass name; He's a lazy bastard. I'm surprised I can even release him anymore". Ikkaku cracked his neck and shifted impatiently "Anyhow, I'm not much of a conversationalist, so can we just get started?".

Arcelia smiled at Ikkaku's words. "Of course". In the blink of an eye, Arcelia closed the gap between her and Ikkaku and cleaved upwards with great force. Ikkaku was surprised by the arrancar woman's speed, but was able to parry aside her attack with the butt of Hozukimaru, and he responded with a thrust at Arcelia's legs. Arcelia quickly hopped aside and planted her right boot on Hozukimaru's blade, driving it into the ground. She then placed her left foot on the shaft of the polearm and, with only one hand, swung her gigantic sword downwards in a direct overhead strike. Ikkaku uttered a quiet 'dammit' under his breath, but his attention shifted towards the much bigger problem.

That Arcelia's large zanpakuto blade was about to make his shave much deeper. With his left side unprotected, Ikkaku was completely open to attack.

But that, of course, was what Ikkaku had planned. Ikkaku smiled then, drawing a curious look from his opponent.

"Gotcha" he said smugly. "Split, Hozukimaru!". At his command, Hozukimaru's length suddenly became seperated into three different sections, it's sudden change in shape throwing off Arcelia's balance. Taking advantage of his opponent's temporary drop in her guard, Ikkaku reacted his left hand, Ikkaku made a fist and slammed it into the flat of Arcelia's blade, knocking it off course but breaking more than a few bones. With his right hand, Ikkaku swung the section of Hozukimaru he held upwards, scoring a light hit on the arrancar woman's left shoulder. Realizing her predicament, Arcelia wasted no time in recreating the gap between her and and the deadly bald captain yet again. Ikkaku put Hozukimaru over his shoulder, reveling in his success and his increased confidence.

He had scored the all important first blow. Better yet, he was the first to draw blood.

Arcelia noticed Ikkaku's expression and closed her eyes, chuckling softly. "I suppose that I deserve this wound. I clearly underestimated you, Ikkaku-san". Ikkaku sensed no malice behind her words. But he definitely noticed the change in her tone; It held more respect within it, and Ikkaku knew that their battle was going to be much more serious.

Which was just the way the bald man liked his fights. With a gleeful yell, Ikkaku threw himself at Arcelia, who smiled and returned the charge.

* * *

Shuuhei's mood could be described as annoyed at the moment. That, or agitated. His plan had been simple. Once the arrancar main force had come within range of the gate, the kido corps unit stationed atop it would fire a blast into it in order to create disarray. Once the enemy had been disoriented, Ikkaku's unit would come around to the left side of the army and cut down some of their numbers. Once the enemy had focused on the Tenth captain, the front gates would open and Captain Soi Fon and Ichigo Kurosaki's forces would come out and hit the enemy hard, easily cutting down more confused arrancar. After the battle had shifted more into the Seiretei's favor, Captain Renji Abarai would come from around the Seiretei and strike the arrancar's right side, and Shuuhei would finish the trap by trapping the enemy from behind. A simple pincer maneuver, but deadly effective on a small army such as the invading one. And once most of the underlings were slaughtered, the five captains would make quick work of Yammi. There was nothing else to it.

But there were several problems with Shuuhei's scheme. For one, Ikkaku had completely blown off his plan right from the get go and refused to bring any men('And let THEM get the glory?' he had exclaimed). Instead of coming around to the enemy army's right, Ikkaku had clashed with an unidentified reiatsu atop the Black Ridge gate.

The reiatsu was a problem itself. Not only was it unknown to the ninth captain, but it was incredibly powerful. Possibly even espada level which also threw a monkey wrench into the works of Shuuhei's plan. For all he knew, there were many more just like it. And that wasn't something Shuuhei wanted.

The final problem lay in himself. A large and unexpected amount of volunteers from his division had transformed Shuuhei's small guerilla unit into a force of one hundred and fifty shinigami. Meaning that in order to completely conceal the reiatsu of his force, Shuuhei had to bring his unit completely around the entire battle on a much longer path. The path had actually swung about some parts of the Rukon Districts, and were currently moving through an abandoned one to make their progress ninth captain swore constantly under his breath, raking his thoughts for any way to put his plan back on track. If he could somehow quicken the pace, then perhaps they could still trap the enemy with minimal losses, Shuuhei thought.

The dark-haired captain took a look at his host of volunteers. Most of them seemed excited, or at the very least nervous. But they all shared one thing in common: they were tired. Since most couldn't use shunpo, the entire troop had to walk the entire way. What made matters worse was the heat. It was unusually hot as far as the weather went in Soul Society, and the black robes that all the shinigami wore were making it even worse.

Shuuhei let out an exasperated sigh. Though they were pressed for time, he couldn't afford to have his men exhausted when the time for battle came.

"Alright men, take a quick rest" he shouted so that the entire group could hear. "Make the most of it, because afterwards we're going to have to quicken the pace considerably to make it to the battle on time!".

Even with the prospect of having to move even faster after their break, all of the men were glad to accept that in turn for a rest. Most just plopped down to the ground, while some were more slow to sit. Others leaned against empty buildings or say on empty pottery. Shuuhei crossed his arms over his chest and walked a bit farther from the group. He slowly brought his right hand up to his forehead to massage his temples. Things couldn't get much worse.

As Shuuhei turned around to get a better look at the area his group was in, he spotted a hell butterfly fluttering in the air above him. Shuuhei was quick to notice the way the butterfly moved. It might have been due to how far out of the Seireitei it was, but the butterfly's movements were awkward and clumsy, as if it was straining to keep up in the air. Fearing that the messenger wouldn't be able to fully give it's report, Shuuhei held out the hand he was using to massage his temples and extended his index finger. The butterfly promptly landed upon it and began to relay it's messenge.

"Status report on the conflict at the Black Ridge Gate; Ninth Captain Ikkaku Madarame has begun battle against an unidentified female arrancar. Captain Renji Abarai has yet to bring his force to the battle. Captains Soi Fon and Ichigo Kurosaki's forces are being overwhelmed, with casualties rising. The presence of Captain Shuuhei Hisagi's force is needed to secure victory".

"Damn it all" Shuuhei cursed as the butterfly left his finger. There was definitely no time to rest now. And judging by where the group was at, time was definitely not on the ninth captain's side. After running a few more options in his mind, Shuuhei turned back towards his men.

"Alright men! Our break has to be cut a bit short I'm afraid. We need to get going as to-uhn!?". As his orders were beginning to form out of his mouth, Shuuhei's sharp senses detected a powerful reiatsu. One that he definitely did not recognize. And Shuuhei figured that it was safe to say that it wasn't friendly.

The dark-haired captain noticed that all of the men were now giving him suspicious looks. Thinking on his feet, Shuuhei straightened himself once more.

"You there" he said, nodding towards a portly volunteer, who looked at him upon being addressed "Come here, will you?".

The large man got off of the ground rather quickly despite his size and hurried over to Shuuhei, offering a quick bow. "What can I do for you, Captain?" the man huffed.

Shuuhei quickly pulled the man off to the side, much to the man's confusion. "Listen to me carefully" he said calmly "There's been a change of plans. There simply isn't enough time to go all the way around the enemy army. We need to cut directly through this district and charge at their army from this standpoint. At this point, surprise isn't even needed".

The large man nodded. "I understand captain, but why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you address the others as well?".

Shuuhei shook his head. "There is a matter that I must attend to. And it requires that I take care of it alone". The man blanched.

"You mean..?" he stuttered slowly.

"Yes. A high level arrancar is nearby" Shuuhei said bluntly. "I need you to lead the men to the battle so we can finish this quickly".

"Y-yes captain! I will do my best!" the man practically shouted, drawing more stares from the crowd behind him and his captain. The dark-haired captain clapped a hand on his subordintate's shoulder.

"Thank you. I'll pass command onto you now. Make haste, because if we don't make it in time, more will die" Shuuhei added extra emphasize on the last part of his statement. Again, the portly man nodded. Shuuhei redirected his attention to his group, all of whom were still looking at the pair.

"A sudden change in the situation has caused me to take drastic measures" Shuuhei declared "As of now, you will follow this man's orders until the battle ends! Offer him the same loyalty you give me!". There were several grumblers at this statement, but Shuuhei was not finished yet.

"Offer him the same loyalty you give me..."he repeated, only this time his hand gripped his zanpakuto warningly "..or my zanpakuto will find your traitorous heart and tear it from your chest". The messenge clear, and all of the shinigami were quick to agree. Several even threw in a few cheers for their captain.

Shuuhei gave them all a curt nod before he turned back to the large man he had given command to. "Do not fail me" he said, though it was more a plea than an order "Failing in this is failing all of Seireitei. Understand that".

The man had already been nervous before, and the fact that now the fate of his entire home was on his shoulders made it worse. To his credit, though, he offered another bow to Shuuhei and walked past him, calling out orders to march. Shuuhei was pleased to see that none of his recruits offered a word of resistance to the commands. One by one, Shuuhei's force marched through the empty streets, and were soon out of his sight.

Now alone, Shuuhei ran a hand through his hair and looked over both of his shoulders.

"Come on out" he called out to the emptiness "It's just you and me now. Let us settle this here and now!".

A couple buildings away from Shuuhei, a door to what appeared to have been a bar fell down. There was a flash of light on steel, and Shuuhei's zanpakuto was in his hands before one could even bat an eye. His face now set in a battle expression, the captain of ninth division set back his right foot slightly behind him, bracing himself for an attack.

There was several moments of silence. Then, there was the creaking of floorboards inside the abandoned bar. A sandaled foot made its way out of the doorway, and following it was a rather peculiarly dressed arrancar.

The person wasn't very tall, about five eight or nine at best. It was definitely a male, for his muscular chest, and some of his upper abdomen, was on display underneath his mostly open white jacket. The jacket itself resembled a long overcoat, only it was without pockets and had no sleeves, and only possessed four center buttons. The arrancar also had baggy white pants that belonged to members of Aizen's army, only there were small cuts on the outsides of each pant leg. As for the face, Shuuhei couldn't make much out. The entire head was covered in what looked like some sort of turban-like wrapping, so that only the lower jaw was visible. Shuuhei did notice that on the left side of the person's jaw was partially covered in what looked like white scales, which Shuuhei guessed might have been remains of a hollow mask.

The arrancar slowly and silently made his way out of the bar and into the street, coming to a dead stop in the center of it so that he was less than three yards from Shuuhei. He then suddenly turned so that he was facing the dark-haired captain and drew forth two weapons so quickly that Shuuhei barely saw them at first. The masked arrancar began to twirl both weapons in his hands skillfully and crossed them both before himself, effortlessly exchanging the blades into the opposite hand before snapping them off to his sides. Shuuhei quickly identified the weapons as tiger hooks except for that one, the one in the arrancar's left hand, had a butterfly knife blade.

_Crap_ Shuuhei thought. He had little experience in fighting dual-wielding foes, as double zanpakutos were rare in the Seireitei. The only other person he fought that came close to that style other than Captains Ukitaki and Shunsui was Ikkaku, and that was difficult enough to decipher at times. This opponent seemed rather comfortable wielding the two weapons he had as if they were extensions of his arms. This would be a hard fight to survive, let alone win.

"You seemed more than willing to let my men escape" Shuuhei acknowledged to his opponent, who didn't move. "Was it out of compassion, or sportsmanship?".

The arrancar let out a chuckle. "You and I both know the answer, Captain. But enough talking. I didn't wait for you to send off your goons so that we could converse".

"Fair enough" Shuuhei said with a nod. Then, with lighting quickness, he took his left hand off of his zanpakuto and held it before him. "Shakkahō(Shot of Red Fire)!!". At his words, a ball of fire flew from Shuuhei's open palm at his opponent. Despite having no chant, Shuuhei's captain level power allowed him to manipulate the kido at a much stronger level.

The arrancar didn't panic. With fluid grace, he took a few steps towards the kido and, with lightning precision, dropped down to a squat so that the spell passed harmlessly overhead. The arrancar stretched forth his right leg and rose swiftly, moving forward as he did so.

He was quick to cross both of his blades before him to intercept the thrust that Shuuhei had launched at him. Sparks flew from all three blades as they collided. The arrancar forced up both of his blades, causing Shuuhei's to go up with them. With a quick spin, the arrancar turned his back to the dark-haired captain, throwing out a spinning back kick with his right leg in the process.

But Shuuhei was quick to think ahead of his opponent. Once he saw his enemy spin, Shuuhei quickly removed himself from their collision so that he was on the arrancar's left. He saw the arrancar's powerful kick fly right by him, the force kicking up a dust cloud that spread all the way down the street. Wasting no time, Shuuhei swung his blade downwards towards the arrancar's hamstring, then feinted into a quick upward slash at his opponent's back.

Had the arrancar's reflexes not been top-notch, and had he not spotted the glint of Shuuhei's zanpakuto from over his shoulder, he would have surely suffered a grievious injury. The arrancar planted the leg he had kicked out with to the ground, at the same time kicking forward with his other leg. He also dropped hips and skillfully bent his torso backwards, so that he briefly saw his reflection in Shuuhei's zanpakuto as it passed over him. The picture of perfect balance, the arrancar remained steady on his one leg even as he launched a kick with his left leg. Shuuhei, surprised at the agility of his opponent, barely brought up his zanpakuto to stop the kick from caving in the side of his head. But even blocked, the kick had enough force to knock the experienced captain off balance and stumbling backwards.

Upon scoring his kick, the arrancar straightened out his arms on either side of him, completely stopping his body. With flawless precision, the arrancar launched himself into a backflip, at least five feet airborne before landing back on his feet well before Shuuhei stumbled backwards three steps. In almost the same motion, the arrancar went into a flurry of furious but graceful slashes and stabs.

Now purely on the defensive, Shuuhei swung his zanpakuto back and forth in front of him, parrying most of the strikes that came at him. But the attack had been started while Shuuhei was still fighting to regain balance, and in the beginnings of the assault, the arrancar had scored many minor hits on his hands. Hands now stinging, Shuuhei's defenses were starting to falter.

Things didn't improve his chances when his back hit a support beam for the wooden awning for the bar the arrancar had first exited from.

The arrancar sensed the temporary shock in the dark-haired captain's defenses, and pressed to take full advantage. Turning his left wrist over, the arrancar's blade hook went over Shuuhei's next parry, curving around his right wrist. The blade cut deep, and Shuuhei let out a cry of pain. His grip on his zanpakuto weakened and it slipped free from his hands.

Victory in his sights, the arrancar withdrew his right hand and thrusted low for Shuuhei's open stomach.

He was shocked when Shuuhei's zanpakuto came up across diagonally and intercept the attack.

When Shuuhei had dropped his blade, it was only half out of pain. The other half was part of his clever feint. Once his blade had dropped to about waist level, Shuuhei's left hand shot down and grasped the handle. With expert timing, Shuuhei had thrusted his blade upwards in the path of the arrancar's strike just in the nick of time. His enemy now confused, Shuuhei did the only thing he could do in his position.

Shuuhei pulled his head backwards and fiercely snapped his head forward, driving his forhead hard into what he hoped was his opponent's nose.

His guess turned out to be right. With an agonized grunt the arrancar stumbled back dizzily. He did, however, have enough presence of mind to windmill his blades in front of him as somewhat of a defensive barrier.

Both combatants panted for breath, each falling back into their defensive stances. The arrancar's head looked back up so that he was facing Shuuhei again. Shuuhei was filled with more than a little satisfaction when he saw his opponents headwrap begin to soak with blood.

The arrancar let out a laugh. "I didn't expect such a lowbrow tactic from one such as youself, Captain of the Gotei Thirteen! You're a worthy adversary".

Shuuhei furrowed his brow. "I don't believe my name is just captain, arrancar" he said almost condescendingly.

"As my name isn't just arrancar, shinigami" the arrancar shot back.

Shuuhei was at first taken back by the response. He was, until he realized the common sense within it. It was true that he had addressed his opponent just as disrespectfully as he was being addressed himself. Shuuhei sighed inwardly. Such lack of courtesy and etiquette in a duel was not to his taste.

"Very well" he said, straightening himself momentarily and bringing his zanpakuto before himself. "I shall give you my name if you shall grant me yours".

The arrancar nodded, but was quick to say "You first then".

It mattered little to the ninth captain either way. Slowly bringing his sword back out to his side, Shuuhei began to release more of his reiatsu, enough so that dust kicked up, and his captain's haori fluttered.

"Captain of Ninth Division Shuuhei Hisagi" he declared proudly.

His opponent chuckled and brought up a hand to the wrappings around his head. Slowly, he began to unravel them.

Shuuhei was shocked when he first saw a shock of white hair emerge from the wrappings like some sort of blooming flower. Even further was he shocked when his opponent's wrappings fell more and revealed an all too familiar pair of teal eyes, furrowed in the picture of grumpiness. Still more shock was to come when the wrappings went limp over the arrancar's shoulders like some sort of scarf, revealing that the lower cheekbone and jaw on the left side of his face was covered in white, bone-like scales with several covered in curved spikes.

But the greatest shock came with the arrancar's introduction.

"Arrancar Ciento Uno, Toshiro Hitsugaya" he said solemnly.

* * *

"I really hate my luck" Renji sighed as he got himself into a more defensive stance. His left arm hung limply at his side, his shoulder having a large bone spike driven through it. He dodged another spike that was launched at him, and the projectile created a large hole in the ground behind Renji when it made contact. Renji further cursed his luck, and went back to surveying his opponent who had just sneak-attacked him.

It was a male arrancar, tall and lean, but with arms that were built like rope that ended with hands that had long, strong fingers. His long, unkempt black hair trailed behind him in a large mass and hung behind his legs. The remains of his hollow mask were now formed into a circlet-eyepatch combination covering his forehead, his only showing eye a luminous golden yellow, and slitted like a serpent. He wore a white hakama with a dark green sash and no top clothing, openly displaying his chest and the hollow hole that lay directly on his collarbone. Small, numerous barbed spikes ran up both of his arms and ended with two large curved ones on his shoulders facing forward.

Around Renji, the remains of his group he had been leading lay scattered about. Most of the shinigami had been vaporized by the powerful cero that the arrancar launched in the beginnings of his ambush. The rest were quickly put down by the large spikes that were driven through them like a hot knife through butter. Only Renji was quick enough to avoid fatal damage.

The arrancar snickered loudly at Renji, and his hand toyed with the hilt of his zanpakuto, a wakizashi that hung loosely from his right hip. " What's wrong, shinigami? Having trouble with your arm?" he taunted in a fierce but strangely high-pitched voice towards Renji.

Renji responded in kind with his normal response to enemies. With a snap of his experienced arm, Renji brought Zabimaru up and over his head and roared in battle fury.

"HOWL, ZABIMARU!". With a downward swing from Renji's hand, Zabimaru flew towards the lanky man, aiming to smash into his leering face. The arrancar returned Renji's attack with a backhand to Zabimaru and a dash towards the red-haired captain. With deadly quickness, the arrancar unsheathed his zanpakuto and thrusted it towards Renji's heart in an attempt to end the fight right there. And had Renji been an inexperienced fighter, the attack would have succeeded.

Renji quickly reeled Zabimaru back towards himself and brought the blade down atop the arrancar's zanpakuto, stopping the sword in it's tracks. Renji then backstepped on his right foot and, after fully retracting Zabimaru, swiped downwards at the arrancar at a diagonal angle, aiming for the area between the neck and the shoulder. Once again, the lanky man met his attack head on, parrying Zabimaru again with his bare hand. Still Renji pushed his opponent, and the lanky man continued to dodge and block. With each parry that the arrancar did, he attempted to counterattack Renji, but to no avail.

Thinking to use his zanpakuto's reach to his advantage, Renji quickly flash-stepped about ten feet to the arrancar's left, believing it to be the arrancar's weak side. Renji whipped Zabimaru over his head again and launched it at his opponent's left arm.

The arrancar grinned wickedly as he knocked Zabimaru's extended length upwards, it's razor sharp edge deflecting harmlessly from his bare palm. His left hand then quickly shot over to his wakizashi's handle and he drew it with a reversed grip. With a quick burst of sonido, the arrancar was once more in cramped quarters with the red-haired captain, his zanpakuto aiming for Renji's stomach. Seeing the danger he was in, Renji sucked in his breath and threw back his hips so that the wakizashi's tip merely cut open part of his robes and parts of his captain's haori.

But the arrancar was still in to advantageous of a position, and Renji knew it. Extended, Zabimaru was no use in close-quarters combat. Thinking quickly, Renji retracted Zabimaru, just as his opponent flipped his weapon over and readjusted his grip. The wakizashi now being held normally in his left hand, the arrancar renewed his attack, striking low for Renji's right knee.

Retracting Zabimaru had been the right decision for Renji. With its length now back to its normal state, Renji was able to intercept the attack with ease using the hooked edges to trap the wakizashi's blade. His face showing slight irritation, the arrancar roughly jerked his weapon free of Zabimaru's grip and swiped horizontally with a backhand at Renji's open throat.

But Renji had bought himself enough time with the parry. His free hand opened up and he aimed his palm to the ground between him and the arrancar.

"Destructive Art 33: Sōkatsui(Blue Fire, Crash Down)!!" he shouted. There was a flash of blue light and a huge explosion and a cloud of dust rose from where Renji and his arrancar opponent stood.

The arrancar stumbled slightly out of the dust, but seemed mostly unhurt. Amazingly enough, the kido seemed to have not done much damage to the resilient being. After shaking himself to regain his senses, the arrancar straightened himself and laughed wickedly.

"That all ya got, shinigami?!" he shouted, his sneer evident in his voice "That all a captain has to offer?!".

He was surprised to see many red-lit blades flying out of the rubble cloud straight for him at the words.

The arrancar swiftly batted aside one of the projectiles as it zoomed in at his right side. Once it had been knocked aside, the arrancar recognized it as one of the sectioned blades of his opponent's weapon.

But as arrancar had been puzzling over the first projectile, the others had quickly launched at him in a huge swarm. The arrancar looked around for an escape route, but found none. There was an explosion as all of Zabimaru's blades collided with their target.

Yet another burst of dust and rubble flew into the air from the attack. The first one was now nearly fully dissipated as the confident Renji strode out of it, Zabimaru's bladeless handle in his grip.

"You like that, you stupid bastard?!" he jeered, as he held out his zanpakuto in front of him. Zabimaru's multiple sections flew out from the debris and back neatly onto it's handle.

His bubble burst quite a bit when he saw a ruffled-looking arrancar emerge from the dust and fix him with a scowl. Renji was stunned to find that his attack had little effect on his enemy, who merely sported a few nicks and bruises.

"How amusing" the arrancar said cockily. "I thought that this would be a bit more easier, shinigami. You just might prove me wrong. Give me your name and rank, so that I may relay that information to Aizen-sama when I bring in that ridiculously tattooed red-haired head of yours".

Renji quickly regained his composure and snorted."Captain of Fifth Division, Renji Abarai. Since I gave you my name, it's only fair you give me yours".

The arrancar laughed, giving Renji a glare that one gives to gum that was just scraped of his shoe. "Not that it matters to a dead man, but the name is Ricardo Salazar, arrancar ochenta y ocho". At his declaration, Renji raised an eyebrow.

"Eighty-eight? But aren't the higher numbers supposed to be weaker?" said the red-haired captain, his face covered with a doubtful expression.

"Dunno. Are we?" replied Ricardo, not missing a beat.

"Well, whatever" Renji grunted, holding Zabimaru out to his side. "I've never fought an arrancar that wasn't worth being cautious against. And I sure as hell ain't gonna take any chances with you. The real fight starts now!". At his words, Renji's reddish spiritual pressure flared off of his body, his long hair slightly rising and his eyes momentarily flaring the same color as his aura. The arrancar took a step back, honestly surprised by the sudden burst of power coming from the tattooed captain. Renji glared at the arrancar, his face as deadly serious as he could be.

"I'm gonna kill you. Make no mistake about that, monster" declared Renji, letting his resolve sink into his enemy.

Ricardo didn't see Zabimaru until it was too late. With terrifying speed, the zanpakuto tore through the surprised arrancar's left thigh, splaying blood all over his side. Although his _hierro _protected him from most damage, Ricardo had never before experienced pain such as this. He cried out in agony as Zabimaru continued to cut deeply into his leg like a cruel saw. But that pain was only beginning. With a flick and pull of the wrist, Renji reversed Zabimaru's cutting path, bringing it back towards himself and nearly severing the arrancar's leg off. Once it was free from the cut, Renji started launching Zabimaru in rapid succession at his opponent, scoring hit upon hit before the arrancar had a chance to semble any defense.

As devastating and rapid was Renji's attack, it wasn't enough to completely stop the stubborn Ricardo. With a defiant scream, Ricardo managed to swat Zabimaru aside temporarily, causing Renji's eyes to widen slightly. When the opening was created, the crafty arrancar decided that rather than use the slower cero, he should use the much quicker weapon at any arrancar's disposal.

Opening his mouth, Ricardo launched a _bala _blast at Renji. Renji, who was still in the midst of recoiling Zabimaru, had no time or room to dodge.

The attack scored a direct hit on Renji's chest, knocking him off of his feet and onto his back. Had he not densified his spiritual pressure to act like protective armor, he probably would be breathing out of a hole in his chest. Even so, the force was still enough to drive the air from Renji's lungs and cause him to cough up a small amount of blood. But he smirked in grim satisfaction when the angered arrancar was right above him, his fist pulled back and about to crush the helpless captain's head like a rotten fruit.

Which was exactly what Renji had hoped for.

Renji reacted as quickly as possible. Rolling more onto his back, Renji planted his feet none too gently into Ricardo's groin area. And no amount of iron skin could protect an area like that. Ricardo's eyes bugged out and he howled in agony, stumbling away from Renji aimlessly. Once the arrancar had staggered far enough away, Renji brought up his hand before him and pointed his index and middle finger at Ricardo.

"Binding art 1! Sai!" Although the movements were somewhat laggy and jerky, Ricardo's arms were suddenly forcefully tied behind his back by the kido. The arrancar was more than eager to voice his opinion on the situation.

"What the fuck?! What is this?!" he roared angrily, struggling to break free. He gave Renji a killing stare at that moment "Fool! Do you think that a simple spell like this will stop me!? I'll kill you once I free myself!!". Renji chuckled darkly.

"Not in the least. I was always shitty at kidou" he replied calmly. "But if there was anything I was good at, it was getting the job done in a fight. Just like now". At Renji's words, the air around the two fighters was bathed in an eerie red light. When Ricardo looked up, his eyes, or rather his eye, met a sight not many people in his position enjoy.

The many rotating, bladed sections of Zabimaru closing in on him like a constricting snake. Ricardo was filled with terror, and when his eye moved to Renji's hand, he only then noticed Zabimaru in his hand, it's length hugely extended and pulsating with spiritual power. Ricardo was helpless as Zabimaru caught him in it's cruel embrace.

There was a brief muffled yell, and a large burst of blood coming from inside Zabimaru's coils.

Satisfied, Renji recalled Zabimaru, content that the fight was over. His skin was covered in cold sweat when he saw Ricardo, torn and bleeding, but still alive and standing before him. The man was almost naked, his clothes and skin alike shredded nearly beyond recognition from Zabimaru's deadly attack. One thing that Renji recognized, however, was the death glare that the arrancar gave him at that moment.

"YOU SONNUVABITCH! YOU'LL FUCKING PAY!! YOU'LL FUCKING PAY FOR THIS!! I'LL RIP OFF YOUR HEAD AND DISSECT YOUR DAMN BODY!! I'LL TEAR OUT YOUR EYES AND EAT YOUR GODDAMN HEART!!" Ricardo screamed, causing blood to spurt from all of his wounds. His hand flew to his zanpakuto handle and his eye narrowed cockily as he spoke his next words.

"RAVAGE, LEóN!!" roared the infuriated arrancar, his zanpakuto glowing and flashing a bright golden-yellow. Renji had not expected a release so early in the battle, but he still had to cover his face from all of the flying dust that engulfed him, and he stumbled slightly under the huge increase in the arrancar's spiritual pressure.

The smoke cleared a few moments later, revealing Ricardo's true form. He was on all fours, his forearms now heavily muscled and armored in a white bone-like carapace. Huge claws had replaced the arrancar's spindly fingers, and the spikes on his arms were gone. The circlet that was on Ricardo's forehead now sported huge forward-facing horns and his hair had transformed into a spiky lion's mane. He also now had a long, whip-like tail, with many sharp throngs at the end instead of fur. The entire right side of Ricardo's face was now framed by a lion-like skull, complete with oversized fangs. The newly transformed arrrancar let out a terrifying roar, the air shaking due to the huge resonance. Both of his eyes were revealed now, and they looked upon Renji with a ravenous hatred.

"Now, shinigami, you die" he growled, taking a step forward. Several stones near Ricardo's paw disintegrated under the intense pressure being exhibited. Renji looked on without the slightest hint of fear.

"You think you've won, when you haven't even seen my own trump card. Let me show you Zabimaru's true power, arrancar. And then we can finish this up". Renji held Zabimaru across his chest, and roared out one of the most feared and respected words in all of Soul Society.

"BANKAI!!". This time it was Ricardo who was blinded, and he flinched as Renji's new overpowering spiritual pressure washed over him. When he looked up, he was met with the sight of Zabimaru's new form.

It was no longer a blade. It was a large serpentine monstrosity, made of many moving sections of what appeared to be bamboo. The white snake skull at the end hissed, and Zabimaru let out a roar of his own, his red mane fluttering in the wind. Renji himself now had a furry brown scarf-like object on his shoulders and part of his arm, with a baboon skull atop of it. Renji smirked as he surveyed the awestruck expression of his opponent.

"Hehio Zabimaru" Renji said, tightening the grip on Zabimaru's handle. But Renji figured that even with his bankai, he was looking forward to a pretty long day.

Not that he was surprised.

...

* * *

WHEW! That was much longer than the first part. Hope you enjoyed the combat. I made sure to learn from the other people on this site who wrote beautifully, but had choppy action scenes. If you see anything wrong, let me know.

http : /www dot shopwushu dot com/images/det/d4301 dot jpg THOSE are tiger hooks. Just be sure to use actual dots lol

GinIchimaru321


	3. Chapter 2: Aizen's Trump Card pt2

Well, after a much needed weekend away, I return with another chapter. Just a warning, though. I won't always be able to update this quickly, so please don't kill me when it seems like I haven't updated in a bit. Brainstorming and inspirational thinking, you know.

Aside from that, I fixed Renji's encounter from last chapter per request by **CO RAVEN.** I think it's better than before, but that's only my opinion. And I know, this one's a bit short, but bear with me. It's still a work in progress.

So without further ado, dear readers, here is chapter 2. Enjoy. Theres a bit of one-sided IchixSoi to those who look.

Ah, and I don't know if I HAVE to do this, but I might as well now.

**DISCLAIMER: THE WRITER OF THIS STORY DOES NOT OWN BLEACH OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS!**

**CHAPTER 2: Aizen's Trump Card pt 2**

Even with one of her arms broken and her morale having been beaten and bruised by the loss of comrades, Soi Fon was not a fighter to be taken lightly. With each furious pump of her legs and each thrust with her elbow, arrancar minions fell quickly before her might and tenacity. Fighting alongside her was the less graceful, but still just as effective Ichigo, who cleaved multiple enemies apart with quick and powerful strikes with Zangetsu. The two had met the arrancar charge head on after the initial kido assault, and had successfully held the army in it's tracks. After their initial suprise attack, the shinigami in both of the captain's divisions had poured out from the gate, along with another small group from the Kido Corps. The two armies clashed, and the battle had begun.

Although so far the battle seemed to favor the Seireitei, there were still difficulties. For every one arrancar that was defeated, two shinigami fell as well. Their numbers were simply too great for the shinigami forces and the arrancar were seeing the toll their numbers were inflicting. They were also wising up to the strategy that was being used by the shinigami army, which consisted of quick charges by small groups of Soi Fon and Ichigo's men to thicken and box in arrancar groups for merciless kido blasts from the Kido Corps. More and more were able to dodge or lessen the damage of the Kido Corps' attacks more and more, and it seemed that losses favored the arrancar more.

"Captain Kurosaki!" Soi Fon shouted to Ichigo as she landed a skull-shattering left-leg roundhouse to an arrancar in front of her "We cannot outlast their forces for much longer! We must take out their leader! That way these peons will flee!". Ichigo was quick to go back to back with the ninja captain, and was quicker to take out the throat of an arrancar that had ventured too close with a forehand swipe from Zangetsu's tip. Said arrancar fell backwards with a gurgle, clutching his throat as he slowly fell into death. He was quickly trampled and replaced with another.

"I hear ya, Soi Fon " Ichigo growled, shoving Zangetsu through the back of an arrancar that was about to kill a fallen soldier "But Yammi's all the way in the back. How are we gonna get to him without getting ripped apart?". As cold as the raven-haired woman could be, Ichigo wasn't willing to put her in unnecessary danger if he could avoid it. Soi Fon seemed to sense this and grew agitated.

"Numbskull!" Soi Fon snapped. "Do you not have that technique that can launch blasts of energy from your blade!?". Ichigo took his focus from the enemies in front of him and looked at Soi Fon.

"How'd ya know that?" Ichigo asked, honestly surprised. Soi Fon glared at Ichigo, not looking at the arrancar that was in front of her as she swiftly booted it in the chest and sent it stumbling onto another shinigami's zanpakuto. It's death was mercifully hastened as a white bolt of energy pierced through his head and split it like a melon.

"I remember it from the time you battled Captain Kuchiki" she replied. "And I also happen to be in charge of the Stealth Corps, which could possibly get me a lot of information" she added with more than a little sarcasm. Ichigo accepted her last remark, and he smirked his trademark smirk as he grabbed Zangetsu more firmly.

"All right, all right. I'll clear a path to the ogre. But I'm counting on you to make the most of the opening I'll make". Soi Fon almost returned Ichigo's smirk with one of her own but caught herself and frowned determinedly.

"Just make it happen, Captain Kurosaki. I'll handle the espada Yammi". Ichigo didn't need much persuasion. Tossing Zangetsu into the air, Ichigo caught his zanpakuto by it's wrapping and began to spin it vigorously. It took only a few seconds for the blade to become a seemingly solid disc as Ichigo increased the rotation speed. The arrancar around him and Soi Fon began to figure that perhaps those two weren't good targets after all, but by then it was much too late. Almost instantly, Ichigo stopped the spinning blade and, using the momentum, swung it down in the direction that Yammi was in with incredible force while shouting 'Getsuga Tenshou' at the top of his lungs.

The devastating black crescent blast erupted from Ichigo's blade and flew through the arrancar ranks. Those who were caught in the blast were disintegrated almost immediately upon contact, while the less-fortunate arrancar were partly burned or had half their bodies torn off.

Yammi, who had just gotten through smashing one of his cowardly soldiers and was in the middle of squishing another, looked up at the moment Getsuga Tenshou was about to make contact. All of the color drained from his face.

"W-what the hell is tha-GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!". The attack had struck the large espada head on, and the resulting explosion shook the very foundation of the Seireitei.

Of course, Yammi was much stronger than he was often given credit for, and the attack hadn't killed him. He staggered backwards, his entire chest torn open and the rest of him horribly singed and torn. Poor Yammi was beside himself with pain and rage, and he struggled to regain his senses.

An unfriendly foot to the throat didn't help him.

The force of the blow had Yammi stumbling awkwardly backwards, then off to the side, coughing and gasping. Soi Fon was on the huge espada like a panther, not one to pass up the opportunity her kick had created. With deadly precision, Soi Fon continued her assault by delivering three more lightning-fast kicks to the helpless Yammi's throat and launching another as a spinning heel kick with her right foot. After driving her heel into his throat, Soi Fon quickly rotated her self in midair and slammed her other heel atop Yammi's great head. The force was enough to knock even the gargantuan espada to the ground face first. Yammi, despite his pain, struggled to fend off his opponent, swiping before himself with clumsy, but powerful swipes. It was no use; he may as well have been trying to shove off water after falling out of a boat.

The ninja captain wasn't done yet. Once Yammi had hit the ground, Soi Fon had used the power of her blow to flip herself backwards into the air. She did a slight twist before she fell knee-first into the giant's back, driving both of them into his spine. As Yammi thrashed about in pain, Soi Fon swiftly unsheathed her blade and lashed twice on the back of her enemy's neck, drawing two deep gashes. Yammi then tried to use brute strength to toss off the woman, but Soi Fon was already ahead of him. As she was about to be tossed off, Soi Fon reversed her grip on her zanpakuto, gripped it tightly in her right hand, and drove it's blade deep into the middle of the giant's back, revealing pale bone and gushes of crimson blood.

Yammi's screams of agony reached a new level then. With surprising speed, he stood straight to his feet and struggled with all of his might to rid himself of his small yet lethal attacker. He bucked and he shook, but no matter his efforts the ninja captain stuck to him like a stubborn insect. Yammi's rage hit an all time high, his wounds becoming inconveniences in his mind.

"YOU BASTARD!! I'LL RIP YOU IN HALF WHEN I GET YOU!!" Yammi roared, still thrashing about to knock off Soi Fon. As much as she enjoyed toying with her enemies, Soi Fon knew it was almost time to finish the fight.

Soi Fon readjusted her grip on her zanpakuto and planted her feet against Yammi's mauled back. With a grunt, she pushed off of her enemy's back, removing herself and her zanpakuto with a sickening sound. Soi Fon rolled as she hit the ground, and she quickly redirected her attention to Yammi.

Yammi turned around and finally got a good look at his opponent. When he saw her, Soi Fon was more than surprised at his words.

"Eh? Who the hell are you? I thought you were that dark-skinned woman who I fought a few years ago. You fight just like her". At the mention of a dark-skinned woman, the raven-haired captain's eyes darkened. Soi Fon had a pretty good idea who Yammi meant, but she needed to be completely sure.

"Dark-skinned woman? Tell me, oaf. What was the color of her eyes?" Soi Fon fixed Yammi with her icy stare as he scratched his head in contemplation.

"...Er...Um...I think they were...yellow?". Soi Fon's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I see...so YOU are the one who injured Yoruichi-sama those years ago" growled the raven-haired captain, her grip on her zanpakuto tightening to the point that the handle lightly creaked. Yammi noticed that as Soi Fon spoke, her zanpakuto had slowly disappeared. In it's place, a golden gauntlet had covered her hand. Black stripes adorned it's surface, and a giant stinger-like point covered Soi Fon's middle finger. A thin, golden chain kept the two parts together. Soi Fon's next words cut into Yammi like a cold knife.

"I will kill you for injuring Yoruichi-sama. I'll personally take your head and have it mounted on our gates as an example to the rest of your despicable kind. Sting all enemies to death...Suzumebachi!".

Soi Fon was gone from Yammi's sight before her last words hit his ears. His vision was suddenly drenched in red as a sharp pain erupted from his left temple all the way down below his right ear. Soi Fon had lashed Suzumabachi clear across Yammi's face, drawing more blood from the gargantuan. She let herself fall to the ground lightly and leapt back from Yammi, pulling out several kunai from her uniform. A dreaded _homonka_ appeared on Yammi's face, but the giant wasn't in any position to notice it.

Yammi, deciding that he was overmatched against his opponent, reared back his head. With a growl, Yammi's mouth opened, the beginnings of a cero forming in his mouth.

Unfortunately for Yammi, that was a red flag to Soi Fon.

Once again, Soi Fon's speed was too much for the espada to handle. Soi Fon was once more in front of Yammi, but this time it was purely business for the raven-haired woman, not playtime. With expert aim, Soi Fon hurled three kunai at Yammi's already sore throat, each one digging deep into his flesh. Yammi's cero was cut off and the giant espada tasted his own blood. Yammi gurgled and attempted to tear out the seemingly insignifigant tools from his throat.

That too proved to be a mistake.

The barbed edges of Soi Fon's special kunai tore out a huge portion of Yammi's throat. The pain was too much to bear, as Yammi finally dropped to his knees, his huge hands trying to cover his throat and stem the flow of blood.

Soi Fon's cold voice filled Yammi's ears once more. "This is it arrancar. You are completely at my mercy. You have nothing left to offer that would even resemble a feeble resistance. And even if you did, you would still have no chance against me". Yammi glared at Soi Fon, but then an idea suddenly came to his mind. With what he hoped was a sneaky sideways glance, Yammi looked at his zanpakuto, still strapped to his side. But as he began to formulate a plan, Soi Fon was speaking them out exactly.

"Ah, I see. You are thinking that if you can just distract me so you can release your zanpakuto, you can kill me, aren't you?" Soi Fon said in a voice that edged on boredom. "A rather silly idea, to try and fool me. But...I have a proposal to make of you".

Yammi looked at Soi Fon, his expression incredulous at her words.

"Actually, I think of it more as a challenge" Soi Fon continued, her sterling-silver eyes boring into Yammi with each word."I will let you grasp the hilt of your zanpakuto. If you can release your zanpakuto before I kill you, then the fight just might be yours. But if not..." Soi Fon decided to let the imagination of her opponent, or rather her prey, finish her sentence. All that was left was for Yammi to make the first move.

His first and his last, Soi Fon thought with more than a little pleasure.

Honestly, Yammi wasn't really bright enough to comprehend himself losing with such a huge advantage tossed right into his lap. His mind was already forgetting at how huge his disadvantage was, and he was once again thinking of the great rewards that Aizen would give him for his victory.

_MALA SUERTE! Stupid woman! She hasn't realized that she has just sealed her fate_ Yammi thought mischieviously, his hand sliding to his zanpakuto's hilt. He opened and closed his hand eagerly, the tips of his fingers straying over the end of his zanpakuto. But Soi Fon did not budge an inch.

Yammi gulped, and he started to feel cold sweat all over his body. His hand gripped his zanpakuto hilt fully.

Soi Fon didn't budge.

Yammi continued to sweat, but he slowly slid his zanpakuto about half an inch out of the sheath.

Still, Soi Fon did not move.

Yammi smiled then, and he let out a loud laugh. Surprisingly enough, he was still able to speak.

"Stupid woman! Just how confident can you be, to allow an espada to get a hold of his zanpakuto!" With another loud guffaw, Yammi pulled out his zanpakuto.

"NOW DI-...uh?...'. Yammi went cross-eyed for a moment as his eyes fixed on a particular object.

Suzumebachi's stinger protruding from his skull, right between his eyes.

But when Yammi looked at Soi Fon, she was still in the same spot. Still unmoving. And her eyes. Her cold eyes...Yammi gave one last shudder as he fell to the ground for good. He would never return to Hueco Mundo again.

Soi Fon held out Suzumebachi to her side. Seconds later, the middle stinger rematerialized onto her gauntlet.

"Did I forget to mention that I have discovered a new ability for Suzumebachi? It is called Fatal Barb of the Hornet. Hmmmm...but you already know that, don't you Oaf?".

Yammi's still corpse was all the answer she needed.

* * *

"And another notch in that icy woman's belt. Damn that was brutal" Ichigo had witnessed the entire encounter from the sidelines, and he was more than a little impressed by how handily Soi Fon had defeated Yammi. Ichigo felt that he actually might have felt sorry for the poor guy, despite what he did when they first met.

As Ichigo continued to silently admire the handiwork of his fellow captain, he noticed movement in the peripherals of his vision. Movement that was headed straight for Soi Fon as she was unreleasing her zanpakuto.

The spot that Ichigo had been sitting in was now only inhabited by dust.

* * *

"Humph. That wasn't even worth releasing Suzumebachi" Soi Fon said, replacing her zanpakuto in her sheathe. "I could have easily drug out the fight and still won". With her job now finished, Soi Fon turned around towards the Black Ridge gate, intending to rejoin the battle.

A large explosion hit the spot where she was standing.

* * *

Ikkaku expertly retreated from the gigantic blade of Arcelia's zanpakuto, his chest just teasingly out of reach. As the point sailed harmlessly past, Ikkaku readjusted Hozukimaru in his grip, evenly spacing his hands more confortably apart. With skill that would put even the most dextrous opponents in awe, the bald captain started spinning Hozukimaru before him in both his hands. He came forward at Arcelia wildly, using his zanpakuto to hit the ground and launch a shower of sparks and bits of rock at his opponent every time he did not fully connect.

Despite her soft voice, Arcelia's combat style fit well with her appearance. Her face was calm and emotionless as she started backstepping away from her deadly opponent while twisting and maneuvering her large blade before her like a seasoned fencer. As Ikkaku came forward, Arcelia gripped her zanpakuto with both hands and teed off with a fast but powerful horizontal swipe from her right side so that Ikkaku was forced to cautiously distance himself, lest he be shorn in two. The seasoned captain wasn't deterred long before he began refreshing his offense, coming in with a lance-like charge.

At the end of her mighty two-handed swing, Arcelia released her left hand from the handle, easily lifting her gigantic zanpakuto in one hand, before she quickly switched it backover to her left. Feinting another backhand swing, she instead pulled the blade behind her and down low, then quickly swung it across and back around low from a diagonal angle so that the blade was centimeters from the ground and coming at Ikkaku's right.

The unexpected switch would have caught any other captain off guard. But not Ikkaku Madarame, who used a similar tactic with his unreleased zanpakuto and sheath. Upon seeing Arcelia's sword leave his left field of vision, Ikkaku had suspected what the soft-spoken arrancar had done.

As Arcelia's zanpakuto came from behind her, Ikkaku immediately unreleased his zanpakuto. Now wielding a katana in one hand and a sheath in the other, Ikkaku twisted away from the path of the large blade and used his scabbard to further guide it aside. Arcelia's left arm now crossed in front of her, pressing tightly against her chest and threatening to spin her around with the momentum. Thinking that his opponent's guard was compromised, the bald man began to step forward and attack.

But the female arrancar had better ideas.

Rather than fully go with the spin, Arcelia's left hand released her blade's hilt, and her right hand was quick to replace it. At first, Arcelia let the force of her swing take her back a bit, so that her left shoulder was facing Ikkaku. Ikkaku felt a sense of foreboding when he heard the scrape of his opponent's boots and saw her lower body completely stop. He saw Arcelia's torso continue moving for only a second before it too stopped.

"Uh oh" Ikkaku said as he saw Arcelia's smile.

Arcelia swung down fast and hard. There was no other way to describe it; She simply put a huge amount of brute power into the already charged up swing and struck down in front of herself with all of her great strength. The sheer force of the contact her zanpakuto made when it hit the top of the gate had created a small crater down below in the frame, and had also shattered the wooden doors. There was a loud rumble, and the entire top of the gate began to crack. Once the ground beneath them started to rumble, both combatants used shunpo, and sonido respectively, to take their battle away from the now crumbling portal. Shinigami and arrancar alike were crushed underneath the rain of falling stone and wood.

Once the two were safely on the wall, they once again raised their weapons in defensive postures. Neither one had any serious wounds yet. Ikkaku had a few cuts on his face and a small gash on his ribs, while Arcelia's left arm and stomach were covered in numerous nicks from Hozukimaru.

And both of them looked eager for more. Not wasting any time, both combatants charged headlong towards each other, the light of battle gleaming in their eyes.

Ikkaku used the lightness of his two weapons to his advantage. He drove himself a bit faster, then took a gigantic leap. He swung downwards towards Arcelia, the sheath in his left hand leading the zanpakuto in his right.

Arcelia had begun her counter the moment she saw Ikkaku take to the air. She didn't stop in her charge, but instead slightly dropped her speed so that the bald man was above her and still in her frontal view. Taking her zanpakuto's handle in both hands, Arcelia spun around, bringing her blade in low to the ground as her back faced her opponent, then swinging it upwards like a golfclub with terrifying force as she came back around.

Knowing that he was about to be cleaved clean in half if he didn't do something fast, Ikkaku did the first thing that came to mind. The bald captain slammed the ends of his zanpakuto and sheath together.

"Extend, Hozukimaru!" he shouted. Instantly, the tell-tale shape of Ikkaku's polearm came into his eager hands. Without a moment to spare, Ikkaku thrusted his zanpakuto's blade down into the ground. With a heave of his seasoned and powerful upper body, Ikkaku vaulted himself up high, narrowly avoiding Arcelia's seeking blade as it lopped off a huge piece of his haori.

_Thank god I do that everytime I do the Lucky Dance_ Ikkaku thought breathlessly in his mind as he landed lightly back to his feet. Upon landing, Ikkaku lifted up Hozukimaru in his hands and swung at Arcelia full force with the weighted end of his polearm.

This time, Ikkaku's speed was to his favor. Surprised by the skilled evasion, Arcelia did not fully recover from the force of her own attack in time to avoid Ikkaku's strike. The weighted end struck her shoulder hard, and only the woman's great phsical prowess prevented her from being bowled over from the powerful attack.

Arcelia grunted in pain, but accepted the blow. She felt bones in her arm break, but if anything, it only fueled her determination. Rather than retreat and try and re-establish her offense, Arcelia bulled straight forward into her opponent. The reckless move was indeed unexpected, and it showed on Ikkaku's face. And although Ikkaku threw up Hozukimaru's shaft to deter Arcelia's charge, the powerful female charged straight through the last second defense and slammed her right fist square into Ikkaku's jaw.

He knew that his opponent had brute strength, but the force behind Arcelia's blow was beyond anything Ikkaku had expected. Stars exploded into his vision and he hit the ground hard and flat on his back, his head snapping up from whiplash.

When Ikkaku's eyes opened, he found himself staring down the six-foot length of Arcelia's sword. His opponent's ice-colored stare burned straight through him, and a teasing smile played at her lips.

"Huh" Ikkaku said, honestly at a loss for words "Guess this means I'm pretty fucked, huh?".

To his surprise, Arcelia lifted up her blade and stabbed it into the ground next to her.

"Get up, Ikkaku-san" she said casually, as if this was how she ran all of her battles.

It took the captain a few seconds to register the statement. "Umm...what?" was all that Ikkaku could muster himself to say.

Arcelia raised an eyebrow. "You think that I would strike down an opponent in such an unsportsman-like manner? Such is not to my taste".

Ikkaku sat up, but not fully as he tried to fully straighten out his vision. "Unsportsman-like?" he echoed, fixing his opponent with a frown "You got me fair and square. Wasn't nothing unsportsmanly about it".

Arcelia shrugged. "Perhaps I want to end my fights differently" was all she said in reply.

Though mostly confused at first, Ikkaku began to understand. He almost laughed when he saw all of the similarities between his female opponent and his former captain, Kenpachi Zaraki. The simple desire to have a good battle.

Rolling onto his back, Ikkaku snapped his legs and his upper body forward, landing back onto his feet in a kick-up. Dusting off his shoulders, and spitting out a tooth, Ikkaku went back into his stance.

"This time you won't get off a lucky shot like that again" Ikkaku declared confidently.

"If it was luck at all" replied Arcelia, her voice carrying a slightly teasing note .

Both took a step forward, each prepared to launch another attack.

But they were momentarily distracted by the sound of an explosion.

"What the hell was that?" said Ikkaku, directing his attention from his opponent to the huge explosion that took place at the rear of the arrancar army. Arcelia also looked in the direction that Ikkaku did, her soft features giving off an air of slight concentration.

"Yammi-san is dead" she stated suddenly. Ikkaku looked at the arrancar woman.

"Huh? Are you sure?" he asked Arcelia. Arcelia's pale blue eyes looked back at Ikkaku, though her face was still directed towards the two armies.

"I am sure. He clashed with another more fierce reiatsu moments ago in the middle of our battle, and now his spiritual presence is gone". Ikkaku noted the slight hint of sadness in her voice and put the still unreleased Hozukimaru over his shoulder.

"Well, does it really matter to ya?" Ikkaku questioned, drawing a slightly confused look from Arcelia.

"I mean, he's your leader isn't he?...Well, he _was_ your leader, anyway. But shouldn't you be glad he's gone so you can take his spot?". Arcelia smiled at Ikkaku's words, sensing more behind them.

"I see. You think that I wouldn't care about him since I am just an arrancar and that I care only for my own advancement" the arrancar reasoned. "As Yammi goes down, I go up. Is that right?". When Ikkaku didn't respond, Arcelia just let out a sad chuckle and closed her eyes.

"It is not unnatural for you to think those things; My kind have already made a reputation for ourselves. And you have no reason to think us merciful after our two people have been in war for these past five years" Arcelia looked fully at Ikkaku once more, though this time she let out a sigh.

"However, I am somewhat different from my kin. I will not lie and say that I haven't killed. I have slain many people in my lifetime. But I have grown weary of this war. It has no point in it any longer...I may have formerly been an evil spirit, Ikkaku-san, but I respect and value my comrades. This war has taken friends from both sides, though it is more obvious with the Soul Society, which is filled with those who mourn their losses. It saddens me to think that I will never be considered to have any kind of compassion or decency, and that I will be only known as a monster."

Ikkaku was at a loss for words, to which Arcelia smiled. "But in joining Aizen-sama, I have done this to myself" she continued "I will deal with the hand that I have dealt to myself".

Arcelia lifted her sword into the air, it's point directed at Ikkaku. But when Ikkaku rereadied his stance, Arcelia's blade continued it's ascent and slowly was replaced on her back. Ikkaku looked at Arcelia questioningly.

"What are ya doing? Aren't ya supposed to 'take my head' to Aizen or something? You aren't gonna get that done sheathing your weapon". Arcelia just chuckled once more, her soft tone barely audible over the increasing noise below.

"There is no longer any reason for us to battle, Ikkaku-san. My leader is dead, meaning that it is best we should retreat. The battle is yours. I see no need to continue taking any more lives than necessary". Ikkaku just snorted.

"Great. Neither of us even got really serious" Ikkaku complained. He then nodded towards the now demolished gate '"And I'm sure my ass is grass for lettin' you do that to the gate". Arcelia smiled once more.

"My apologies" she said sincerely before turning away "It is a pity...I am sure that had we met under different circumstances, we might have been friends...farewell until next time, Ikkaku Madarame of Ninth Division". And with her parting words, Arcelia was gone without the slightest hint that she was ever there.

"Great...now what am I gonna do?" mumbled Ikkaku, looking at the now retreating arrancar forces fleeing from Soul Society's gates.

Ikkaku squinted down at the spectacle that was taking place at the rear end of the arrancar army. He smirked when he saw the tell-tale orange hair of a certain captain in the mixup.

"Shoulda known" he said with a laugh.

* * *

Soi Fon didn't really know what had happened. All that she knew was that she had felt a massive explosion of power right in front of her, but she was somehow unharmed. The force of the explosion had kicked up a large cloud of dirt and rubble, but the experienced captain didn't bring up her arm to shield her eyes. She instead grasped her zanpakuto's hilt and unsheathed it defensively, her body tensed.

"Yo, Soi Fon" came a familiar voice "You alright?". When the smoke cleared a bit more, Soi Fon slightly relaxed when she recognized the haori of Ichigo Kurosaki standing in front of her. Not that she was glad to see him or anything.

"...I didn't need your assistance, Captain Kurosaki" she stated flatly in what she hoped was a cold voice. Ichigo chuckled.

"You're very welcome" the orange-haired man said. Thankfully his back was turned, because Soi Fon figured that she wouldn't have been able to hide her blush.

_Curse men_ the ninja woman thought grouchily.

Ichigo's expression went from friendly to hostile as he surveyed the attacker.

"You got a lot of nerve attacking somebody who isn't looking, pal" Ichigo said with a bit of anger on the edge of his voice. If there was anything the orange-haired captain hated, it was an unfair fight.

The attacker turned out to be yet another arrancar. He was around Ichigo's height, if not a little shorter. His face was quite handsome, but it hinted at hiding deeper emotions. One of his eyes were squinted shut, as if in annoyance, while the other was narrowed heavily, so that Ichigo could barely make out the dark green iris beneath his long eyelashes. His black hair was messy on top, going forward in a slightly spiky mess, but was extremely long and smooth in the back, running behind his knees. He sported two semi-long white horns on his temples that arced backwards, which Ichigo guessed were the remains of his mask. The black hakama he wore was fastened with a thick iron chain wrapped around his waist to serve as the belt. He wore something like a haori, but it was draped over his shoulders in a fashion that was reminescint of Captain Yamamoto.

Ichigo also got a pretty good look at the arrancar's weapon, as it's point was digging into the side of Zangetsu. It was definitely his zanpakuto, but it's design was somewhat peculiar to the orange-haired captain. The blade was like that of a katana, but it wasn't as thick or wide. The guard was made of some silvery material, and it was designed like some sort of ornate rapier. The hilt was also longer than usual.

Ichigo, however, found himself looking not at the weapon, but once more at his opponents eyes, or rather eye. Something about the one that was open made Ichigo feel unsettled...the color and depth held a deep familiarity, but what it was, Ichigo couldn't quite place it.

"...You are Ichigo Kurosaki?" the arrancar suddenly said. Ichigo also noted a familiarity in the way the arrancar spoke. His voice was somewhat deep and soothing, but it held a tone of loneliness.

"Well? Are you Ichigo Kurosaki, or aren't you?" the arrancar repeated somewhat demandingly. Ichigo shook himself from his distracted thoughts as best as he could.

"Yeah. I am. What's it to you?" Ichigo responded cooly. The arrancar nodded consentfully.

"Just as they said...just as they said..." he murmured. There was the sound of somebody using sonido, and another arrancar was suddenly beside the mystery one in front of Ichigo. This one was a female, with a toughened, tomboyish appearance and a large blade to match. Besides her face, Ichigo noted, which was quite feminine and childish-looking. She also had some of the most beautiful eyes the orange-haired captain had ever seen, a pale blue shade that resembled aquamarines.

"Yammi-san is dead" the female proclaimed in a soft tone that surprised Ichigo. The male arrancar's eyes shifted over to his comrade.

"I am aware of this, Arcelia" he responded, his stance still unchanged. "I witnessed his demise at the hands of the ninja captain Soi Fon". Behind Ichigo, Soi Fon smirked

Arcelia's hand went to the arrancar's blade, increasing Ichigo's bewilderment. "Then should we not leave? There is no longer any reason for us to be here".

The male arrancar seemed to be considering the soft-spoken woman's words. "But this man is Ichigo Kurosaki" he stated.

"Oh?" said Arcelia, who turned to face Ichigo, her eyes moving up and down Ichigo's form briefly "This is _the _Ichigo Kurosaki?...Hmmm, yes he is as handsome as they say". Ichigo blushed furiously.

"W-what? Who said that?! Not Aizen, right?!" stammered Ichigo. Arcelia laughed softly, even bringing up a hand to cover her mouth.

"Just people, Kurosaki-san" she replied. "But it doesn't matter at the moment. What matters is that we leave".

"I don't get it" Ichigo said warily. "You guys were so keen on attacking us. Why leave now?".

"We have no leader, and thus, no reason to be here" Arcelia answered. "Besides...I believe my friend here has already completed his mission".

"... ...".

Arcelia smiled. "My point exactly" she said, as she lowered the arrancar's blade tip from Zangetsu's side.

Ichigo was taken back by the reactions of this new arrancar. "You sure you're an arrancar? You seem too honorable to be one" he commented. Arcelia's smile didn't leave her face, though it was lessened somewhat by the remark.

"I am what I appear, Kurosaki-san. It's just that I have a few more principles than some, I suppose".

While Ichigo and Arcelia were talking, the male arrancar had turned to the side and opened up a _garganta_ with a tap of his finger. Once the eerie portal began to open, he directed his attention to Arcelia.

"We're going, Arcelia" He said. His voice seemed calm, but it also had a bit of a commanding edge to it, and Ichigo could tell it was more an order than a request. The soft-spoken female looked over and nodded.

"Of course. Ricardo has already retreated?" she asked. The arrancar male nodded in affirmation. He also gave Ichigo a cold glare as he sheathed his zanpakuto.

"And what of-?" began Arcelia, but her companion put up a hand to silence her.

"He is also retreating. I made sure to tell him to hurry up" he said curtly "Now come". Arcelia nodded and began stepping into the portal, her ally moving in behind her as she went.

Upon seeing this sight, Ichigo suddenly jumped to attention.

"W-wait! What's your name?!" Ichigo shouted at the male, drawing a curious look from Soi Fon.

"Captain Kurosaki, what are you doing?" she demanded. But Ichigo wasn't listening.

Arcelia had already entered through the portal, and her partner was quickly following after. When Ichigo had shouted, the arrancar looked over his shoulder.

"You ask me my name?" he said in a condesecending tone. "I am surprised that you haven't figured anything out yet".

"Please! Tell me your name! I have to know!" Ichigo pleaded. The _garganta_ gate was beginning to close, but the arrancar revealed something that froze Ichigo from the inside out.

His other eye, which had been squinted throughout the entire encounter, slowly opened, revealing it's color.

It was gray. A gray that Ichigo recognized instantly.

"No...it can't be..." Ichigo whispered, Zangetsu falling from his grasp. The arrancar's voice filled and echoed in his ears as the _garganta_ was about to close.

"Armando Sora Schiffer, arrancar noventa y nueve. Until next time...Kurosaki-kun".

With a dull rush of air, the _garganta _closed shut.

* * *

"Humph. So they left" Toshiro scoffed. He then sidestepped yet another clumsy and desperate attack from his opponent, Shuuhei. The white-haired arrancar stared at his enemy, his face a mask of amusement.

Upon realizing the identity of who he was fighting, Shuuhei had lost his edge. The shock that had hit him soon after the arrancar revealed himself was too large of an opening that his opponent was quick to exploit. Attack after merciless and brutal attack struck Shuuhei Hisagi, and both of them were wondering what was keeping the Ninth Captain on his feet. Blood poured from countless wounds that the arrancar had inflicted with his deadly weapons.

Shuuhei gripped his zanpakuto tightly as he once more swung overhead at Toshiro. It was a fruitless effort though, as his opponent casually stepped aside to Shuuhei's left and used the flat end of his tiger hook to slap the zanpakuto right out of the ninth captain's aching and bloody hands.

Unexpectedly, Shuuhei dived for the fallen zanpakuto, catching it awkwardly before it hit the ground. Concentrating as best as he could, the dark-haired captain gripped his blade in both hands, pulled in both of his arms and dove low at Toshiro.

The move had surprised Toshiro, but it wasn't completely unexpected. As soon as Shuuhei drove himself forward in his desperate charge, the white-haired arrancar slid back like a cobra, crossing his blades before him defensively. The ninth captain's blade went lower than anticipated however, so the arrancar had to improvise. Toshiro grunted slightly as Shuuhei's blade tip sliced lightly into his stomach, but it mattered little. He had already caught Shuuhei in his trap.

Up went Toshiro's knee, colliding with Shuuhei's sword guard and driving it into the ninth captain's nose. It broke Shuuhei's nose upon contact and blood began to flow freely. As the captain fell backwards, the arrancar began working his two blades before him furiously, striking his opponent's zanpakuto blade. He struck with such force and precision that the weapon was taken from Shuuhei's hand, and Toshiro began to actually keep Shuuhei's zanpakuto in the air as he juggled it between his two blades effortlessly. He tossed Shuuhei's zanpakuto into the air with his own and, after quickly resheathing his zanpakuto, caught it by the handle. Looking at the sword with a look of bemusent, the arrancar tossed the zanpakuto aside.

Completely overwhelmed and damaged by the surprise knee, Shuuhei fell backwards to the ground with a thud. Amazing enough to the arrancar, his battered opponent still had enough wits about him to land on the ground lighter, lessening his impact. The dark-haired captain slowly pushed himself up on one arm, attempting to semble some sort of defense.

Toshiro shook his head. "Why are you still trying?" he sighed "I defeated you quite a while ago. Are all shinigami so stupid as to not accept obvious defeat?".

Shuuhei muttered something inaudible under his breath. Toshiro frowned and strained to hear what the man before him had said.

"What nonsense are you babbling? Speak up" he demanded, taking a step forward and grabbing Shuuhei roughly by the hair. Doing so hadn't interrupted the dark-haired man's mumbling however, and it angered the arrancar.

"Did you not hear me? Speak up!" he yelled this time, twisting his hand and yanking his enemy's head to the side. As he did so, he picked up the last few words that Shuuhei spoke.

"...Destructive Art 63: Sōren Sōkatsui(Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down)!!" With surprising speed, Shuuhei planted his palms directly into Toshiro's chest, stunning the arrancar. There was a faint glow of blue before the kido went off. Both combatants were blasted apart, a large burst of blue fire rising into the air where they had just stood.

Shuuhei choked and coughed as he struggled to breath through the smoke and dust now clouding the entire area. He was lying spread-eagle upon the ground, his hands burned horribly as trails of smoke came off of the burning flesh. The entire front of his body was also burned by his desperation kido attack, but at the moment he paid it no heed. With great difficulty, Shuuhei rolled to his side and got to his hands and knees, still struggling to breath clearly.

He was knocked about fifteen feet further down the street by a powerful kick from Toshiro.

The arrancar growled angrily as he stalked his opponent like a white-haired vulture. The unexpected attack had paid a toll on Shuuhei for sure, but it had a far greater effect on his opponent. There were deep and bleeding wounds on Toshiro's pectoral muscles, and if he had not had his _hierro_ he would have likely been blown apart. But even with his toughened skin, there was little defending against such a powerful assault. His clothing was also singed, though somehow mostly intact.

Upon reaching his beaten and battered prey, Toshiro used his left foot to roll over Shuuhei before planting that same foot into his stomach. His face was struggling to keep calm, but anger hinted at the edges of his expression.

"I'll admit you're tougher than you appear" growled Toshiro as he pushed down harder, causing Shuuhei to gurgle in pain "But there's a fine line between bravery and stupidity as they say. And my dear shinigami, you have passed that thin line". Out went the arrancar's hands to his sides, and out snapped his weapons simultaneously.

Shuuehei's vision was swimming by now, but he could hear the arrancar's words. With great effort, he started to speak.

"...W-why..."he whispered, drawing a glare from Toshiro "Why, Captain Hitsugaya?...Were you not killed?...".

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Captain? I am not a shinigami, fool".

Shuuhei shook his head. "There's...no mistaking it...you...are...Toshiro Hitsugaya, are you not?".

The arrancar seemed to be getting more agitated by the second. "I told you already, shinigami. Arrancar Ciento Uno, Toshiro Hitsugaya".

"Toshiro Hitsugaya...Captain of Tenth Division..." Shuuhei gurgled before spitting out some blood.

"Idiot" seethed the arrancar "I told you that I'm not a shinigami and I never was! I should just do you a favor and-"

"Leave?" came a voice from behind both of them. Shuuhei, even with his failing vision, noticed the color drain from his opponent's face.

Toshiro quickly turned around, his foot still planted on Shuuhei.

The arrancar that stood behind Toshiro seemed far from imposing. He had both of his hands pocketed and his emerald green eyes stared at the white-haired arrancar in a melancholy fashion. He also had peculiar markings by his eyes, markings that resembled tearstains. His dark hair that wasn't covered by the bony helmet-like mask on the left side of his head fluttered slightly in the wind, as did the coat-tails of his uniform. Though he said nothing, Shuuhei felt waves of fear emanate from Toshiro.

"...Cuatra Espada Ulquiorra-sama" the white-haired arrancar said cooly, though his voice was edged with nervousness.

The arrancar named Ulquiorra said nothing at first. All he did was keep his blank stare upon Toshiro, and it made the white-haired arrancar more than a little uncomfortable.

After a few more moments, Ulquiorra spoke. "I believe that the main force left a while ago" he stated almost mechanically.

"They did" Toshiro responded a bit too quickly. Again, silence. Shuuhei was struggling to stay conscious so that he could continue listening to their conversation.

"Aizen-sama declared to us that those left behind were expendable" Ulquiorra said after another uncomfortable silence. "Is this not true, Toshiro Hitsugaya?".

Shuuhei felt Hitsugaya shudder. "Yes, he told that to all of the espada and the hopefuls before the battle, and that all who were left behind were-"

"-trash" Ulquiorra finished. Toshiro blinked and he suddenly found Ulquiorra standing before him, the powerful espada's unchanging expression mere inches from his own face.

"Are you trash, Toshiro Hitsugaya?" Ulquiorra asked in his hollow voice. There was a definite tone of malice hidden behind the emptiness though, and it set Toshiro back on his heels.

"N-no. No, I'm not trash, Ulquiorra-sama" he said in an attempt to sound indignant. The melancholy espada said nothing to the remark. Instead, he reached his arm out behind him and, with a tap of his finger, opened a _garganta_ to Hueco Mundo.

"Come" he ordered. Toshiro looked at his superior in disbelief. He quickly pointed down at the injured Ninth captain.

"But what about him?! Should I not dispose of him?" he demanded. Ulquiorra's eyes met Shuuhei's at that moment, and there was once more silence.

"Leave him" Ulquiorra said finally, much to Shuuhei and, most of all, Toshiro's disbelief.

"What?! What do you mean?!" Toshiro shouted, forgetting just who he was yelling at.

Neither Shuuhei or Toshiro saw what happened next, but Toshiro sure felt it. In an almost bored manner, Ulquiorra swiftly withdrew his right hand from it's pocket and backhanded the white-haired arrancar across the face. While the gesture seemed simple, it was done with more than enough force to knock Toshiro off of Shuuhei and against a wall. No sooner had his back touched the stone when Ulquiorra, already in front of him, used the same hand he had brushed Toshiro aside with to clamp around Toshiro's throat and lift him off of the ground.

Shuuhei rolled himself over and could only watch in amazement as the fourth espada easily manhandled the arrancar that he had fought so hard against. From Shuuhei's point of view, Ulquiorra was showing no signs of exertion at all. He looked like a patient father waiting for his child to stop throwing a tantrum. Although Toshiro initially struggled, gripping Ulquiorra's forearms with all of his might in both hands, he eventually stopped. He swung like a rag doll from Ulquiorra's grip, and for a moment Shuuhei thought the arrancar had died.

A few seconds later, Ulquiorra released Toshiro from his iron grip, allowing him to drop unceremoniously to the ground. Toshiro coughed once or twice, but offered no more resistance to his superior.

Ulquiorra promptly turned his back on Toshiro and slowly made his way back to his still open _garganta_.

"Come" he said once more, in the exact same tone.

This time, the white-haired arrancar gave no argument. As he walked by Ulquiorra, however, he did say one last smart remark.

"If only the others could see how low you stoop, Ulquiorra" he said cockily. "To allow a weakling like him to live when the old Cuatra Espada would have destroyed him". Ulquiorra didn't even acknowledge the fact that Toshiro was speaking, which of course frustrated the latter. With a final leer, Toshiro stepped into the _garganta_ and was gone.

Ulquiorra looked once more at Shuuhei Hisagi, who returned the gaze with a confused one of his own.

"A message to Ichigo Kurosaki" the melancholy espada said as he started going into the _garganta._

Shuuhei nodded, though it was mostly involuntary due to his loss of blood.

Ulquiorra looked away from Shuuhei as he went completely inside the dark portal.

"She lives". Without another word, Ulquiorra proceeded into the _garganta_ and was gone, as the portal slammed dully shut.

A million questions ran through Shuuhei's battered mind. Why was Captain Hitsugaya alive? Or was it even the captain? Was it merely another one of Aizen's tricks? And the behavior of the fourth espada puzzled Shuuhei. From all accounts, Fourth Espada Ulquiorra Schiffer was a cold and callous man, lacking emotion and incredibly powerful to boot. And yet, he had let Shuuhei live. There really was no reason for him to do so. The dark-haired captain was well beyond being able to defend himself, and he doubted that he would have even stood a chance at full strength.

And she lives...who was 'she'?

His mind continued to run, but his body was simply too beaten to keep the ninth captain awake any longer.

Shuuhei Hisagi's vision slowly blackened and he knew no more.

* * *

Cookies for those who can guess where I was inspired from when narrating Toshiro's technique. I'll give a hint a hint: It's from a character in a very popular franchise by R.A Salvatore(one of my favorite writers, of course).

Please R&R

-GinIchimaru321


	4. Chapter 3: Recession of the Tide?

* * *

I must apologize to you all. I admit that I haven't updated in a long time, but a tragedy in my family that has brought forth many questions and old ghosts of the past forth. I don't wish to go into detail, but I promise to update sooner. I already started the next chapter to be honest.

Some things have been brought to my attention, however. Well, just one thing, actually, but an important one nonetheless. And that is the pace of which I set things. I apologize for having set it a bit fast. Therefore, I will be writing shorter, but more numerous chapters.

Which brings me to my next request. If any of you feel that I should seperate the last two chapters into three, simply tell me in a review(after giving a real one first, of course). If not, I'll leave it be.

So without further ado, here is chapter 3. I know it's a bit short, but I had to get something out.

**Chapter 3: Recession of the Tide?**

Although it was nothing new to anybody who lived in the Seireitei the past five years, the aftermath of the battle was still quite unpleasant to behold. Renji winced as he surveyed all of the bodies he now stumbled weakly through, recognizing more than a few of the shinigami that lay twisted in death upon the blood-soaked dirt. Respectfully, Renji kept himself from kicking aside many of the arrancar corpses that littered his path to the Black Ridge Gate.

The site he saw upon arriving there didn't help to improve his mood. There were much more bodies there than anywhere else on the battlefied. And many of them, Renji noticed, were either buried under huge sections of rock, or impaled through large shards of wood from the gate. The gate had done more damage than either army had.

But it wasn't complete devastation. Renji was relieved to see that there were at least fifty shinigami about, all wounded, but definitely alive. And Renji was even more glad to see three of his fellow captains, Ikkaku, Soi Fon, and Ichigo, were all grouped together near the remaining survivors. Renji was quick to hobble a bit faster towards them, eager for the company.

"Ya look like shit" Ikkaku remarked to Renji as the red-haired captain limped over to join his comrades. Renji gave Ikkaku a glare in response.

"You aren't looking so hot yourself, you jackass" he grumped, which only made Ikkaku laugh.

"I noticed that you don't have any men with you" Ikkaku continued, more serious time "What happened?".

"If what I detected earlier was correct, then you and I both know what happened" Renji sighed wearily "They were slaughtered in an ambush by some powerful arrancar".

"An arrancar of possible espada level, no doubt?" Soi Fon inquired, placing her right hand on her hip. Renji nodded grimly.

"That's why I never bring men" Ikkaku stated as-a-matter-of-factly "Get in the way of things".

"I take it you all had a similar experience?" Renji said sarcastically as he gazed up at the ruined gate. Ikkaku cackled.

"Yeah, that's my bad" the bald man admitted "the arrancar I was fighting turned out to be quite the powerhouse".

"No kidding" Renji said, shaking his head "You know Yamamoto's not gonna be happy about this".

Ikkaku snorted. "Please. WHEN IS he happy? The old man's got problems, let me tell yo-OUCH!" Ikkaku stopped in mid comment as Soi Fon stomped her heel directly onto his toes.

"I would watch what you say about the Captain-General around me, Captain Madarame" the ninja woman said nonchalantly, though her eyes contradicted the tone "I wouldn't want to have to report you".

"Somethin' tells me you would definitely enjoy it" Ikkaku retorted, though with a little less bluster. If there was anyone he feared as much, or maybe more, than his former captain, it was Yamamoto.

Renji glanced over at Ichigo, who he noticed was a bit too quiet for a change.

"The hell's the matter with him?" he asked, nodding at the orange-haired captain. Ikkaku and Soi Fon both shrugged.

"He became like this after speaking with one of the high-level arrancar" Soi Fon explained "He nearly fell backwards on me after the arrancar had left, so I had to almost drag him here. He seems to be a bit...".

"Out of it" Ikkaku finished for her, which drew a leer from the petite captain. Renji gave his friend a concerned look.

"He only looks shitty like that when something's really bothering him" he said, waving his hand in front of Ichigo's face. No response came.

"Sorta looks like that weakling face he had back when we first came to Karakura" Ikkaku commented.

"Yeah, it do-" Renji said, then stopped. The imaginary lightbulb in Renji's head went of at that moment as he formulated exactly how he was going to snap Ichigo 'out of it'. After all, he figured that it would probably be his duty to help out Ichigo in any way possible. Consequences, after all, were merely asterisks in the big picture. He leaned over to Ikkaku and Soi Fon, whispering his suggestion. Upon finishing his explaination, Ikkaku snickered and even Soi Fon gave a smirk. Turning away from them, Renji put himself in front of the silent third captain.

"If I recall, she did something like this..." Renji mused. Placing his hands on his orange-haired friend's shoulders, Renji adjusted the man so that he stood more straightly in front of him.

Renji then socked Ichigo square in the face.

The orange-haired captain stumbled, no, flew backwards from the blow. Ikkaku was quickly behind Ichigo, stopping him in his tracks and securing his arms in a full nelson. With his arms detained, Ichigo's expression suddenly went from blank to alarmed.

"H-hey, what's goin-" he started, but he was cut off when Soi Fon and Renji appeared in front of him and slapped him in the face twice. Hard.

This seemed to snap fully Ichigo from his daze, because he was quick to voice his feelings at his fellow captains.

"WHAT THE HELL?! YOU GUYS ARE FREAKING ASSES! THAT HURT LIKE HELL!" he roared, breaking free from Ikkaku's grasp. But if any of his comrades felt any sympathy towards him, it certainly didn't show then. All three of the other captains were too busy laughing hysterically to show any compassion.

"Shut the hell up!! It's not funny!" Ichigo yelled.

Renji wiped his own eye. "Coulda fooled me" he half snickered, half gasped due to lack of oxygen "Besides, what are you so mad about? We were only trying to help".

Ichigo's glare didn't cease "You call that helping?! Funny, I call it slapping the crap out of me!".

"Same difference" Ikkaku said, putting his sheathed zanpakuto over his shoulder.

"The hell it is!" Ichigo snarled, looking over at his left where the bald man stood "Ever heard of leaving me be?!".

"That would have solved nothing, Captain Kurosaki" Soi Fon chimed in from the side.

Ichigo whirled back around "But what's to solve?! The fight is over!" he said exasperatedly.

"Status reports, of course" Soi Fon replied. Ichigo's right eye visibly twitched.

"We may have won, Captain Kurosaki," Soi Fon went on " but we still suffered substantial losses. About two-thirds of our force was killed in the last half of the fight. It seems that the Kido Corps suffered as well".

"You're not kiddin' "Ikkaku said "By the time I got to the gate, the arrancar I fought had already killed half the unit up there".

Renji let out a stressed sigh "I had seventy-five. Not a one survived. Either got vaporized by cero, or impaled".

"Any more wonderful news?" Ichigo sarcastically sighed.

"Captain Shuuhei is missing!" shouted a voice from behind the four captains.

The captains all turned around, hands on their zanpakuto's hilts, only to find a rather portly shinigami on his knees and his face practically in the dirt.

He sported several wounds, but for the most part seemed mostly unharmed.

"Captain Shuuhei is missing?!" Soi Fon snapped at the groveling man, who in turn flinched "What do you mean, you bumbling fool?!". The outburst obviously terrified the man, because he visibly quivered under the verbal assault. He tried feebly to respond, but words wouldn't form.

But Soi Fon wasn't known for her sweet, understanding nature, or for having a high amount of patience. The ninja captain was in front of the man in the blink of an eye and, with surprising strength, hauled him up to his feet by his collar. Once he was on his feet, her hand shot to the front of his robes, where she resumed her hold.

"We cannot hear you if your face is pressed into the dirt, you clod" she growled into the man's face. The man, for his part, could only let out a small 'eep'.

"Jesus, Soi Fon!" Ichigo said, putting himself between the terrified shinigami and Soi Fon "You're gonna end up scaring him to death!".

"Perhaps if he just told us what he knew, then he wouldn't be like that" Soi Fon retorted, still keeping her iron grip on her victim.

Ichigo placed his hand cautiously atop of the petite captain's, which drew gasps from Renji and Ikkaku.

"How about we put him down and ask him a bit more...normally?" Ichigo offered gently, knowing that he was treading on thin ice with the unpredictable woman. Behind Soi Fon, Ikkaku was emulating getting his arm torn off, to which Renji was nodding.

But to their great surprise, Soi Fon's grip loosened, and Ichigo was able to seperate her from the portly man.

"Thanks, Soi Fon" Ichigo said. Soi Fon replied with a loud 'Hmph'.

Satisfied, Ichigo directed his attention to the man. "Okay then. Now, what do you know about Shuuhei?" he asked.

The man took a deep breath and bowed. "My name is Toru Yoshito, Ninth Seat of Ninth Division" he began "I was in Captain Shuuhei's ambush unit that was supposed to come in from behind the enemy forces. We were still deep in former Rukon territory when he gave us a resting period. But early into the break, he pulled me aside. He told me that the circumstance had become dire".

"Dire? How?" Renji interrupted. Soi Fon kicked him in the shin, silencing the red-head. But Ikkaku had words of his own.

"I've never heard of you before" he said, tapping his shoulder absentmindedly with his zanpakuto "Who are you, EXACTLY?".

Toru bowed apologetically "My apologies, Captain. I...I don't believe my captain was aware at the time, but I'm one of the handful of people that have applied for the position of Lieutenant in our division. I was actually supposed to take the practical exam with the other applicants next week".

"Oh, so you're not just some weakling who was lucky to survive. Good for you, I guess" Ikkaku finished his statement with a yawn, earning himself a scowl from Ichigo.

"Don't worry about him" the orange-haired captain said consolingly "He's just a bald douchebag. What was it you were saying?". Ikkaku's eyebrow twitched at the insult, and he was about to leap upon Ichigo until Soi Fon and Renji both seized his arms and held him in place.

"Well, as I was saying...The captain had apparently detected a powerful arrancar" Toru said nervously.

A stunned silence fell over the group. Ikkaku refrained from his struggles momentarily

Portly Toru, deciding to get all of the news out at once, continued "After he detected the arrancar's presence, he gave me the order of commanding the force and leading it to the battlefield. But the manner of how he gave the order is what disturbed me the most. It is almost as if...". Toru stopped talking for a moment, seeming unsure of how to finish his sentence.

"As if?" Ichigo repeated slowly, gesturing for the shinigami to finish.

"It is almost as if...he knew that he was going to die" Toru said finally.

All four captains exchanged dark looks. There was a few seconds of uneasy silence before Ichigo spoke.

"Do you remember where he was?" he asked the large shinigami. Toru nodded.

"Yes Captain. I remember exactly where we rested at" he answered.

"Alright then. I'll go with you" Ichigo said, before turning to face his fellow captains "What are you three gonna do?".

"I'll go to the Captain-General and request another meeting to give our reports" Soi Fon stated.

"I don't know about you guys" Ikkaku said, already walking away from the group "but I really don't wanna have to suffer another long-ass meeting sober. I'm gettin' some drink in my system first. See ya".

Renji shook his head at the bald man, then directed his attention to Ichigo. "I'll go with you. It's better that we prevent any more accidents".

Ichigo nodded. "Agreed. Now let's go find Shuuhei".

And with that, Ichigo and Renji, led by Toru, went off to find the missing Ninth Captain.

* * *

The messenger easily ran through the large, and often confusing, corridors of the First Division. He nodded to several shinigami as he passed by, making sure that he wasn't mistaken as an intruder. Not that he would have in any case. The newly formed and restructed security of the First Division surpassed even that of the Second. Constant patrols of armed six man units wandered every expanse of the area, both indoor and out. There was never a moment, even in the dead of night, where no watchmen could be found.

Yamamoto surely enjoyed his privacy.

It didn't take the messenger long to locate the captain-general's presence. Even in it's more dormant state, Yamamoto's powerful reiatsu was easy enough to locate. After a bit more roaming about, the messenger came upon a large room. To his left, the wall was completely gone, revealing a large portion of the seireitei and beyond in a sort of huge, makeshift window. Standing in front of the great window was Captain Yamamoto himself, bathed in the reddened light of the sunset.

Wasting little more time, the messenger dropped down to a kneel, placed his right hand upon the ground, and bowed his head.

"Yamamoto-soutaichou! Captain Soi Fon has returned from battle! She wishes to see you!" he reported.

Yamamoto didn't reply at first. His train of thought was more on the sunset than in the room. The same sunset that he had watched for hundreds of years. It gave Yamamoto a sense of relief and calm that no matter how much destruction Aizen had, and will continue to, cause, the setting sun will never cease to happen. And the wizened general of Seireitei hoped that he would continue to watch it for a long time to come.

After several more moments, Yamamoto looked over his shoulder at the messenger. "Have Chojiro guide her in, then" he rasped. The messenger nodded, and was off.

With a frown, Yamamoto resumed his sightseeing for the time being.

It didn't last long, because not even a minute later, Soi Fon was quickly walking into the chamber, many paces ahead of a protesting Chojiro Sasakibe.

"Captain Soi Fon, please have some consideration of the Captain's privacy!..." The white-haired man half lectured, half panted from trying to keep up with Soi Fon's deliberant pace.

If the stubborn woman heard his pleas, she didn't seem willing to comply. She came within five feet of Yamamoto before dropping to one knee and bowing her head as was custom.

"Yamamoto-soutaicho! I am here to request a captain's meeting immediately!" she stated somewhat forcefully. Whether or not it was intended, neither Chojiro or Yamamoto could tell.

The old captain raised one of his long eyebrows. "This lack of proper ettiquette and composure is unlike you, Captain Soi Fon" he scolded "why do you request yet another meeting to take place? We just had one, in case you do not remember".

"My apologies, Yamamoto-soutaichou" Soi Fon said, further bowing her head "but I request this meeting in order to bring forth several newly discovered issues that need to be brought to our attention!".

"If you have reports, you may give them to me right now. A meeting isn't neccessary" Yamamoto responded.

To his surprise, Soi Fon shook her head. "I am afraid that it is not only I who requests this, but also captains Kurosaki, Madarame, and Abarai".

The old captain frowned, but the ninja captain went on.

"I understand the complications, Captain-General" she continued with an apologetic tone "but we would rather give our reports before the rest of our peers, as we feel that they may require a meeting regarding them anyhow. If anything, this meeting would actually be more beneficial to our timeframe".

Yamamoto looked over at his liutenant, who was struck speechless at Soi Fon's behavior and could only shrug.

"Hmmm...very well" Yamamoto conceded "Chojiro, have the other captains notified that yet another meeting is to take place in half an hour. Until then, leave me be!".

Both Soi Fon and Chojiro gave a quick nod and a 'Yes Captain-General' before exiting the room quickly.

With a sigh, Yamamoto redirected his gaze to the sunset which, thanks to the interruptions, was mostly over.

Sometimes he wondered just where he went wrong with his academy.

* * *

The dust kicked up in huge clouds throughout the empty streets of the former Rukon district. It was usually windy in the later hours nowadays though, so the three men searching for Captain Shuuhei paid it no heed.

Ichigo, Renji, and Toru had been searching for the better part of fifteen minutes, with no signs of the Ninth Captain. It was obvious that the battle had jarred Ichigo and Renji's large guide's memory, because soon after their arrival, they were obviously in the wrong place.

"I don't understand!" Toru exclaimed, as he pushed open yet another door, revealing another empty dwelling "This WAS it! I'm positive!".

"Yeah, you said that five minutes ago" Renji muttered, as he kicked aside some damaged pottery.

Ichigo emerged from a broken window nearby, and glowered at Renji. "Give him a break, willya? He did kind of had to lead a bunch of people into battle on short notice".

Renji spat off to the side. "Yeah, so did we. And I don't think that we become mentally crippled after every fight...".

"How's forgetting something being mentally crippled?" Ichigo said heatedly "In case you forgot, there are over ninety Rukon districts that are pretty much empty now. Trying to find Shuuhei would have ended up like trying to find a needle in a haystack in any case!".

"Not if you're not an idiot" Renji said stubbornly.

"Who's an idiot!?" Ichigo shouted, rounding on his red-haired friend.

"I wasn't talking to you, you moron!" Renji yelled right back.

"Oh, so I'm a moron now?! That's something coming from a guy who's spirit manifestation is a monkey!" Ichigo retorted.

"Okay, first of all it's a baboon! BA-BOON! And what the hell difference does that make?!"

"If fits the owner either way, who's just as dumb as both!"

The next thing that Toru saw was Renji leaping onto Ichigo, fist pulled back. The dust that was already in the air was now intensified by the two captain's brawling.

"Ouch! My eye! That hurt!" came Renji's voice.

"Yeah, I'll bet it di- GAH!" shouted Ichigo.

"How's that, you strawberry bastard?! Now take this!"

"HEY! NO BITING! That friggin' hurts!"

"Why are you complaining?! Monkeys bite, don't they?! Maybe now you'll-OOF!"

"That oughta shut your big, monkey mouth! Have another!"

The two captains emerged from the dust cloud, tangled up in a punching, kicking, mass of melee extremes. Toru could only watch in helplessness as the two continued their fighting.

Renji took hold of Ichigo's haori and headbutted him square in the chin. The force of the blow nearly knocked the orange-haired captain off of his feet, and caused both men to stumble.

But Ichigo was by far the more experienced bare-hand brawler. In retaliation, Ichigo pulled himself back and drove his knee into the pit of Renji's stomach, blasting the wind out of his adversary's lungs. Once Renji doubled over in pain, Ichigo put all of his weight onto Renji back and secured the red-head in a headlock with his right arm, and started pounding on Renji's back with his right.

The fight continued with the two men tripping and swerving in every direction, shouting and hitting each other all the while. At one point, Toru had tried to get between the two men and push them apart. This proved to be a mistake, because he caught Renji's fist in his eye, and Ichigo's sandaled foot in his backside. From then, the portly shinigami was forced to just let the two men tear each other apart. And they continued to do just that.

Until they both fell over.

The fight ended temporarily, because the fall had caused the two captains to hit heads for the third time in less than twenty-four hours. Taking advantage of the temporary cease-fire, Toru huffed his way over to where the two captains fell.

He was both relieved and horrified to find a badly beaten, but still breathing Shuuhei Hisagi.

"C-captain!" Toru spluttered, dropping down to his knees and trying to shake the Ninth Captain awake.

"...Urgh..." was the only response he got.

It was enough for the large shinigami. With seemingly no effort, Toru lifted Shuuhei from the ground and over his shoulders in a fireman carry. Shuuhei's limbs swung limply.

"Captain Kurosaki! Captain Abarai! I found him!" he said to the two dazed men.

Ichigo was the first to rise, as he wiped some blood off his bottom lip. "Good. Is he awake?" he asked, as if nothing had happened.

Toru shook his head. "I'm afraid not. He needs medical attention badly".

Renji came to a stand next to Ichigo, rubbing his black eye. "Well, you should hurry and get him to Fourth. We, on the other hand, need to get to the meeting. If there's one at all".

Ichigo ran a hand through his messy hair. "But what about Shuuhei's report? Yamamoto will need to hear it".

Renji could only shrug.

"Dammit...We have no choice either way" Ichigo sighed "Renji, let's get going. Yama's gonna kill us if we're late again".

"Yeah, let's" Renji groaned, not feeling up to another lecture.

"Good luck in your meeting" Toru offered, to which Ichigo nodded.

"Somethin' tells me we're gonna need it" he muttered.

* * *

About ten minutes later, Ichigo and Renji were amazed to find out from Soi Fon that not only was there another meeting, but they were actually going to be on time for a change.

"You're joking" Renji exclaimed in disbelief. Soi Fon shook her head.

"The meeting will take place in about three minutes time" she said, hand on hip "Be thankful that I decided to convince the Captain-General to hold a meeting today, rather than later".

Ichigo nodded "We are. Thanks to you, we won't have to have one first thing in the morning. We owe ya".

Soi Fon smirked, taking in the compliment. She was quick to resume her frown when she asked her next question.

"What of Ninth Captain Hisagi?" she asked.

Ichigo scowled as well "Not good. He was in real bad shape when we found him".

"Covered in cuts, bruises, and even burns" Renji added, crossing his arms across his chest "Whatever it was he fought was not pushover".

"That much is obvious, Captain Abarai" the ninja woman said.

Arms suddenly draped themselves over Renji and Ichigo's shoulders, and the next thing the two captains knew, a dead weight pulled them down almost to their knees.

"W-what the hell?!" Ichigo and Renji simultaneously protested as both tried to stand straight again.

A familiar bald head pushed itself between theirs, and Ichigo and Renji's nostrils were hit with the smell of strong alcohol.

"Hey guysh, did I miss anythin'?" Ikkaku slurred, standing himself up straight by pushing down on his two peers.

Renji looked over to Ichigo, who nodded. Both planted a foot in the bald captain's face, knocking him down.

"Jackass" Renji muttered, as Ikkaku began to cackle on the stone floor and complain at how weak the kicks he just received were.

A sudden booming order of "ENTER!" came from the other side of the meeting hall doors, and it slowly began to open before the four captains.

Soi Fon wasted no time in walking inside, with Ichigo and Renji following close behind. After a few more seconds, Ikkaku managed to get to his feet and go after them.

It didn't take a high amount of intelligence to see that most of the captains were disgruntled at the sudden meeting. The four were immediately fixed with stares that strengthened that fact.

Grumpiest of all, it seemed, was Yamamoto. His face was more scrunched than usual, and his intense stare seemed to burn right through Ichigo, Soi Fon, Renji, and Ikkaku.

"The meeting that you four so urgently requested will begin as soon as you are ready, Captains" Yamamoto announced, as he took his seat upon his grand throne.

"I hope that this is important" Mayuri seethed in his unsettling tone, clasping his hands together "I was very busy, and I daresay that I would rather not be interrupted by trifle matters".

"Indeed" Byakuya stated calmly, his gaze half-lidded.

"I must agree with them" Komamura said, his voice edged with exhaustion "I have just gotten through with a large amount of paperwork, and was hoping to rest...".

"Zzz..." was Captain Kyoraku's only complaint. Ukitake gently nudged him awake, much to his displeasure.

Soi Fon glared at her fellow captains for a moment and, seeing as her comrades weren't going to say anything, decided to start.

"This meeting has been requested by me, Captain of Second Division Soi Fon, and Captains Madarame, Kurosaki, and Abarai" she began calmly "Its purpose is to not only to give out full status reports of the battle and the aftermath of such, but to bring forth an issue that we feel must be dealt with as soon as possible".

Her three companions were amazed at her professionalism, as it seemed to settle things down at least by a small amount. Deciding not to let the petite woman do all the talking, Ichigo spoke up next.

"Umm...the battle has resulted in a victory for the Seireitei" he started, which brightened the expressions of a few spectators. He was quick to add "But not without loss".

"I would have expected as much" Yamamoto said almost condescendingly "State the losses".

"Exactly ninety-six of our one-hundred and thirty-eight troops were killed, the rest wounded" Soi Fon stated, much to Ichigo's relief.

"Sevently-five men went with me to the battle" Renji reported next "Not one lived".

All of the captain's expressions were mixed at the moment. From what Ichigo could tell, the losses were hurting more than expected.

"But Soi fon managed to kill off Yammi" Ichigo threw in. That certainly helped. Every captain, even Yamamoto, visibly brightened at the declaration of the Tenth espada's death, and more than a few yelled out congratulations to the Second Division captain. Soi Fon merely nodded in response, but Ichigo could tell that she was enjoying the praises as she readjusted her arm in it's sling.

The wizened shinigami general nodded in approval. "Very good...very good...That is one less person that we have to worry about. Congratulations, Captain Soi Fon".

The ninja woman gave a humble bow at the compliment.

Yamamoto then trained his gaze upon Ikkaku, who gulped. "And what have you to report, Captain Madarame?".

Ikkaku, for his part, seemed more nervous than usual. "Errr...well, I didn't bring ANY men, so I guess I can't report any losses...but...". The other captains suddenly lost their mirth at his response, and all eyes were on Yamamoto at that moment.

Yamamoto's eyebrow rose "But?" he echoed.

"...But...I think what happened was worse" the bald man continued.

The captain general's face went from curious to dark in an instant. "What happened, Captain Madarame?" he demanded.

It took about a minute for Ikkaku to speak up again. "Errr...the Black Ridge gate...may have been...destroyed..." he finished weakly.

Absolute silence.

The room grew very hot when Yamamoto spoke again. "Are you telling me..." he said slowly and angrily "...that the gate that was to be defended from the invaders was, in fact, destroyed?".

Ikkaku didn't respond right away. "...Yeah, Captain-General" he said at last.

"The very gate that makes sure that no intruders invade from the north, and that protects the refugees that we have taken in?" Yamamoto continued, his anger growing with each word.

"..Yes Captain-General" Ikkaku murmured.

"How can this have happened?!" Yamamoto roared, causing all of the other captains to take a step back "Five captains were present at that battle! FIVE! And I could not trust them to defend one of the most important points of our stronghold?! Have my warrior's skills and reasoning abilities gone so dull in these past five years?!".

The insult struck a nerve in all of the four captains that were in the battle, especially Ichigo's.

"Hey, it wasn't his fault!" he yelled right back, causing several gasps from the captains "There were a lot of arrancar in that battle that were obviously of possible espada level!".

That set back Yamamoto on his heels. "What? What do you mean!?" he said, the slightest hints of concern in his voice.

Soi Fon took a step forward. "That is the issue that I had requested be brought to attention, Yamamoto-soutaichou" she declared so that all could hear "It has become apparent that Aizen has either already begun trying to find replacements for his fallen espada, or he already has and was merely trying them out in the battle we just had".

"Meaning that this battle was merely..." Ukitake started.

"A distraction" Kenpachi finished grimly "Just great...".

"That is also why Captain Shuuhei Hisagi of Ninth Division is not present for this meeting" Soi Fon continued.

"Was he killed?!" Komamura demanded, almost knocking over Kenpachi, who swore loudly.

"No, he's alive alright" Renji said, trying to placate the beast man "but he was greatly injured when we came upon him. I doubt that he would have lasted long if we didn't get to him sooner".

"That might explain all of the commotion in my division after I was already leaving" Unohana said serenely.

Yamamoto nearly collapsed into his throne, which drew concerned looks from the senior captains. But when Ukitake and Shunsui went to assist him, the stubborn old captain waved them away with a withered hand.

"...I want our security to be doubled" he ordered after a lengthy silence "Every hour, every day, I want no less than two captains near the Black Ridge Gate at all times. As for the area for our refugees, I want four Liutenants present to guard them. With our gate destroyed, there is no doubt Aizen will strike soon".

There were nods from all the captains, but the general wasn't finished yet.

"In three days time, there will be yet another meeting. And this one will require the presence of all captains AND liutenants.It will decide the course of this war, of that much I am certain".

This new announcement brought out the curiosity in everyone else in the room.

"I will have no more discussion until that time" the captain-general warned, silencing those who were about to speak "And on the day of the meeting, the entire Eleventh and Sixth Division will guard the refugees, whilst the Stealth Corps perform constant patrols. Is that understood?".

Nods and murmurs came from every captain, but no signs of disagreement were apparent.

"Good. Until then, you are all-" Yamamoto thumped his cane loudly upon the ground before booming"-DISMISSED!".

* * *

Far away from the Soul Society, at least in relative terms, was the land of Hueco Mundo. Barren, empty, and dead were common synonyms that described the vast, desert wasteland. The white sands stretched infinitely in all directions, with only a few dead trees dotting the landscape. The air was strange and foreign, and not a sound could be heard, save the howl of the desert winds.

So it was no surprise that this land was the home of hollows of all types.

Aside from the emptiness, there was one other thing that made the sights of Hueco Mundo more bearable, at least to those unaware of what it truly was. And that was the huge, white fortress that was seated right in the middle of nowhere.

That fortess was the palace and home of Sosuke Aizen; The white castle Las Noches.

To those familiar with the Seireitei, the castle strongly resembled it outwardly. Tall, seemingly impenetrable walls rose high into the bleak skies of Hueco Mundo, along with several tall structures and towers within. Medieval and feudal styles clashed within the architecture.

And deep inside this impressive structure was the throne room of Aizen himself.

The large meeting hall doors slowly opened at that moment, and a group of arrancar began marching in. But they weren't any normal arrancar; these were the mighty espada that served under the overlord of Hueco Mundo. They all silently approached the throne, and each one took a spot on either side of the carpet leading to it.

On the left side of the carpet stood Stark, yawning as he tried his hardest to ignore his surroundings. Barragan, as surly as ever, stood proud and straight on Stark's right with his arms crossed. Halibel was possibly the most silent of all the present espada, her half-lidded gaze directed to the carpet.

On the right side stood Ulquiorra, as vigilant and stoic as ever, merely placing his hands further in his pockets. Directly on his left stood Nnoitora, who easily towered over him with his lanky limbs. He scratched the back of his head, which was now more accessible without the large spoonish attachment on his clothing behind it. Grimmjow was the last one in their line, his gaze indifferent to the situation.

The teal-haired espada spat onto the carpet. "The hell are we even here for? Don't see Aizen anywhere".

"Aizen-sama will appear when he is ready to" came the voice of Ulquiorra, who didn't even move to regard his ally.

"Che, it would make more sense if the person who wanted to hold a meeting was here" Grimmjow continued to grumble. Nnoitora snickered, but otherwise didn't offer any other comment.

"Shut up all of you! Your blathering gives me a headache" growled Barragan, his eyes narrowed.

Stark yawned loudly, drowning out Grimmjow's retort. "Speak for yourself, Barragan" he murmured, as he looked over at the old espada "You're just as loud as they are. If you don't mind, I'm trying to rest my eyes...".

"You rarely do anything else but sleep" Halibel butted in uncharacteristically.

"Awww, are ya gettin' mad?" Nnoitora said tauntingly, eager to join the argument, especially against Halibel.

"Nobody asked you, Jiruga" the blonde woman responded with a glare.

Nnoitora laughed. "Didn' say ya did! I Don't have to ask ya for permission!".

"Didn't I say shut up!?" Barragan barked.

"Ah, shut the hell up yourself, ya old shit!" Grimmjow shouted, flipping off his higher ranked peer "You act like ya own the place! It makes me sick!".

The elder espada's face scrunched up in fury. "Do you want me to silence you, upstart?!".

"Want me to make your face a bit less ugly?!" Grimmjow responded, a sadistic smile making it's way on his face as he brought up his open right hand.

"Never a quiet moment in this cursed place..." Stark moaned, massaging his temples with his hand.

"Maybe we can make it quiet by killing a few in our ranks" Nnoitora grinned excitedly, his gaze set directly on Halibel.

"You wish to wear yet another eyepatch?" Halibel said warningly, as she slid her broad zanpakuto threateningly out of it's sheath.

"Alright, some action for a change!" Grimmjow shouted ecstaticly, the beginnings of cero forming in his open palms.

"...Fools..." Ulquiorra murmured

Just as chaos was about to break loose amongst the Espada, a new voice broke into the fray.

"Woo now, this ain' good! Fightin' amongst yourselves? What would Cap'n Aizen think?".

Every espada looked up to where the voice had come from. Next to the throne stood Gin Ichimaru, fully clad in his white robes and grinning as usual. To his left stood Kaname Tousen, who regarded the espada with an expression of disdain.

"This kind of barbaric behavior is unacceptable" Tousen said "Is this what we are to offer as an example to the underlings?".

Grimmjow snorted. "Like they're any different".

"Which is exactly the point" Tousen snapped "If you are to prove that you are above them, you must act with a sense of control and humanity!".

Gin applauded his comrade. "Well said, Tousen-chan!" He turned to regard the espada below him and wagged a finger "Ya'll should do what ol' uncle Tousen says, y'know".

"Gin..." Tousen said in a very stressed tone. Gin only chuckled. Meanwhile, the rest of the espada went silent.

There was the sound of a door opening somewhere in the darkness behind Aizen's throne, and soon all of the people in the room heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Then, from seemingly nowhere, emerged the Lord of Hueco Mundo himself.

Aizen's deceptive smile was especially warm today, a fact that disturbed several of the espada. His flowing white robes billowed behind him, giving the former captain a wraith-like appearance.

Without wasting another moment, Aizen seated himself upon his throne, assuming his usual, pensive pose.

"Good evening, my Espada" he said deeply and soothingly to his men "As you know, it's time for our weekly meeting. Let's get started, shall we?".

* * *

Again, sorry it's a bit short. But don't worry, writer's block isn't the enemy at this point. It is simply time.

GinIchimaru321


	5. Chapter 4: While the Iron is Hot

Well, despite the fact that my computer is a piece of junk, I managed to get a chapter up much faster!

Couple of things I wanna address. First off, I realize that some are getting impatient at the pace I tell the story, but I'm afraid that it's unavoidable. The only thing I can suggest is that you have patience. I would rather not ruin the story by rushing it.

Secondly, if at any point something becomes unclear, let me know. I'd rather not have readers confused. However, I doubt that that shall become a problem because I have some truly wonderful readers and I appreciate you all. I only hope that you stick around a bit longer.

**Chapter 4: While the Iron is Hot**

Aizen let his eyes wander over his minions, the Espada, and the disgruntled expressions on their faces. He had seen the entirety of their little dispute, of course. There was little that Aizen did not see within his boundaries. But of course, he knew that if his minions didn't have at least the smallest amount of privacy, they could create problems.

And a soon to be ruler of the world needed none of those.

"Grimmjow" he said suddenly, making some of his men jump "How goes the defense against the Seireitei's siege efforts?". He was referring, of course, to the almost daily assaults made by Soul Society's small makeshift siege force, led by none other than the enigmatic Kukaku Shiba. Along with the unwilling assistance of Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the fireworks master of Soul Society had led several guerilla-style attacks upon Hueco Mundo's great walls. However, most efforts ended in the death of arrancar that were used as human shields, rather than great damage to the mighty castle.

"It's the same as always" Grimmjow responded, scratching his head "They kill a lot of fodder, but attain no real damage that we can't repair by the time they return".

"Mmm, that's good. But you would be careful to always be cautious" the former captain warned "Little is obtained by underestimating Kukaku Shiba and her efforts".

"Understood..Aizen-sama" the blue-haired espada replied dryly.

Aizen leaned more into his throne, putting his elbow onto one of the armrests so that it could support his head seated upon his palm.

"As most of you are aware, I had selected several hopefuls to replace my lost Espada" Aizen announced "I am pleased to announce that they have returned from the battle, and are on their way to give us the results of their mission".

Barragan huffed. "We don't need any more greenhorns" he complained "what we need are experienced warriors!".

A chuckle made it's way from Aizen's lips. "Ah, you speak the truth, my good Barragan. But as you know, such recruits are not easily obtained, The Privaron Espada, which were my first choices as a quick replacement, are dead". Aizen made note of most of the Espada's negative reaction to the mere mentioning of the previous former espada. To that, Aizen's grin widened a bit more momentarily before becoming tame again. He detested using those in his ranks that weren't molded by him in some way or another anyhow. Choosing warriors that he had influenced in one way or another was a much more preferrable method.

"Besides" he went on "We could all use a little more...'youthful influence' amongst our ranks, no?".

"Age means nothing on the battlefield!" the aged arrancar was quick to shout. Grimmjow coughed into his hand, which suspiciously sounded like the word 'bullshit'.

"Again, true, but I give the same answer. There aren't enough who fit your criteria" Aizen replied calmly "But then again-" the air inside the room became more heavy with Aizen's great spiritual pressure, stunning all of whom were present"-this army isn't run by your preferences, aren't I right Barragan?".

Sweat dripping down his brow and slightly trembling from the reiatsu burst, the elder espada was quick to nod and utter a feeble 'My apologies'.

"All is forgiven" Aizen assured his grumpy underling before continuing "But as I was saying, the four recruits that I have selected will soon be here. I want you all to keep your silence until I give you permission to speak. Is that clear?".

All of the espada nodded, save for one.

"My apologies, Aizen-sama. But I believe that there were still seven of us" Ulquiorra commented in his usual grave tone.

Aizen smiled at what some people claimed to be his favored espada. "This is true, Ulquiorra. How fitting that you should notice".

Nnoitora raised an eyebrow. "Eh? So what does that mean? Is one of us getting replaced?".

"One of you already has" Aizen replied simply.

It took several seconds for the message to sink in. Then finally, Ulquiorra spoke again.

"...So Yammi was killed" he said, his tone neutral "You knew this would happen?".

"My my, I don't know everything that goes on around here, my dear Ulquiorra" Aizen said, running his hand through his neatly slicked hair "I was just taking...pre-emptive measures".

"...I see" And Ulquiorra went silent.

"Heh, serves that big lug right" Grimmjow said brashly "He was damn stupid anyway. And as for his combat skills, the bastard couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat".

"As much as I detest you, I am forced to agree" Barragan growled, a sneer coming onto his rough face "that one was more of a liability than of use".

Aizen chuckled inwardly, mentally patting himself on the back. He was sometimes surprised at how easy it was to make his espada bend to his will, even without them realizing it. With but a few words, their agitation was mostly gone, and order was restored.

Aizen let his eyes fall onto Ulquiorra, who was still silent thoughout Barragan and Grimmjow's exchanges. 'Or is it?" the warlord of Hueco Mundo wondered.

There was the sound of the great throne room doors slamming, and all in the room turned their heads towards the source of the sudden noise.

In trudged the four 'newbie' espada hopefuls, much in the same manner as the first group did. They were grouped together, but within good distance from one another. It was obvious that they either disliked one another, or just didn't trust each other.

The four arrancar came within a respectful distance from their superiors and one by one knelt to the floor in a horizontal line..

Aizen gestured to the four newcomers. "My dear espada, these are your soon to be bretheren". He let the other espada look over the newcomers, before adding non-too subtly "Hopefully".

One of the knelt arrancar, a slim fellow with thick dark hair, snapped his head up. "Hopefully? What do you mean, hopefully?!".

The former captain smoothed back his hair. "Your name is Ricardo, is it not?" he inquired softly.

The arrancar puffed out his chest pridefully. "Arrancar ochenta y ocho, Ricardo Salazar, Aizen-sama!".

"What a loudmouthed jackass" Grimmjow muttered. Everyone in earshot who had heard him forced back their comments and snickers.

"I see" Aizen said, fixing Ricardo with his usual grin "What I meant by 'hopefully', dear Ricardo, is that I know that none of you killed a captain or liutenant ranked shinigami, as was the original agreement".

Ricardo went silent.

"However" the warlord went on "I have heard that a much bigger prize was obtained, with no small thanks to any of you. Not only have you all destroyed a large amount of enemy soldiers, and injured several captains, the main target was destroyed with relative ease. I believe it was you that did so, Arcelia Ramos?".

The addressed arrancar, Arcelia, nodded. "Yes, Aizen-sama" she said in her soft tone. Grimmjow looked over at who Aizen was addressing. When he saw who it was, the teal-haired espada threw back his head and let out a raucous laugh.

"You picked her, Aizen-sama?! You've gotta be kiddin' me!" he howled, much to the annoyance of the other espada.

"It is good to see you as well, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques-sama" she replied, unshaken by the teal-haired espada's laughter.

"Is something the matter, Grimmjow?" Aizen said, still gazing at his hopefuls. Grimmjow placed his own hands in his pockets and looked up at his master.

"Nothin' much. Just that ya hired a big softie" he replied.

"And how do you know this?" Ulquiorra said impatiently, annoyed by the constant interruptions.

"I know this 'cause I woulda made her my only fraccion if she wasn't!" he replied with a sneer "Trained her myself, only to find out it went pretty much to waste".

"But she did destroy the North Black Ridge Gate singlehandedly" Aizen said, cutting off Grimmjow "which will prove to be one of the greater accomplishments in this campaign".

All were stunned by the obvious compliment, aside from Arcelia, who bowed her head once more and said 'My duty is to serve, Aizen-sama'.

Aizen looked over at the last two in line for the newcomers and chuckled again.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya and Armando Schiffer, if I am correct?" he assessed.

Both looked up simultaneously at the mention of their names, and Aizen couldn't help but compare the two to some of his other Espada.

"I have heard of your dismantling of Captain Shuuhei Hisagi, Toshiro" Aizen stated, resting back into his chair "A job very well done. You have definitely earned praise today".

"Thank you, Aizen-sama" Toshiro said, a confident smirk on his face.

Aizen looked over at Armando next. "And you completed the assignment that I gave you?" he asked the arrancar.

"...I did, Aizen-sama" Armando answered.

"Excellent...you have all done well. It is things like this that please me. You need only to keep doing what you have done today, and you shall remain in my good graces".

There was the sound of rushing air, and Aizen appeared onto the carpet, walking towards the soon-to-be espada. All was silent as the brown-haired tyrant of Hueco Mundo slowly approached his kneeling subjects. The way his robes billowed, it seemed almost as if he was gliding above the ground. God-like, he stood tall amongst his subjects, the very image of a king.

Once he came within about a foot of the four arrancar, Aizen went off to the side so that he was in front of the brash Ricardo Salazar. He then came to an instant stop, his robes continuing forward for a moment before stopping as well. In an unseen movement, the former captain had his zanpakuto drawn and rested upon Ricardo's shoulder.

"Ricardo Salazar, formerly arrancar ochenta y ocho. For your actions in battle, you are no longer counted amongst the ranks of mere numeros. From this day forth, you are Ricardo Salazar, Decima Espada". Aizen finished his proclaimation by raising his sword from the arancar's shoulder. "Take your place amongst your bretheren".

With an eager grin plastered on his face, Ricardo stood to his feet and walked purposfully towards the other espada, taking the spot next to Halibel. As he did so, Aizen moved down the line, stopping at Arcelia.

"Arcelia Ramos, For your grand performance in battle, and for causing the destruction of the Black Ridge Gate, you are no longer arrancar setenta y dos".

The toughened female kept her head low. "You're too kind, Aizen-sama".

Aizen smirked. "Octava Espada is your new rank. Enjoy it, and go amongst your peers". It might have been his imagination, but the former captain could have thought he heard Ricardo's jaw drop. Greenhorns were an amusing thing indeed, Aizen mused.

Arcelia rose, gave her master another bow, then walked over to the other side of the carpet across from Ricardo, standing on Nnoitora's left. The tall espada clicked his tongue distastefully.

Aizen continued down the line of arrancar, stopping at Toshiro. "Ah, Toshiro, one of my newest arrancar". When he received no answer, Aizen continued speaking "And yet, you are already to join the ranks of the Espada. I award you Toshiro Hitsugaya, formerly arrancar ciento uno, with the position of Novena Espada. You may join the others".

"Thank you, Aizen-sama" Toshiro said gruffly, rising to his feet and offering a stiff bow before standing next to Ricardo, straightening himself like a ramrod to his full height.

With almost no sound at all, Aizen had placed himself in front of his final kneeled subject, the silent Armando.

"Ahh...Armando Schiffer" he said with a grin, his zanpakuto coming to a rest on the arrancar's shoulder "one of my more...controversial soldiers, if you will".

There was no response from the silent arrancar. And down the line, Grimmjow could have sworn he saw Ulquiorra's hand clench briefly inside his pocketbefore resuming it's limp state.

"But one who has served me for quite a while before this mission, nonetheless" Aizen continued, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. "And for that, you are awarded with the final number. Armando Sora Schiffer, former arrancar noventa y nueve, you are hereby promoted to Septima Espada. Go now, and take your earned placed amongst your fellow peers".

The dark-haired newly-christened espada stood back to his feet, offered a respectful bow, and moved silently to Arcelia's side.

Aizen replaced his zanpakuto into his sheathe. "Very good. Now then...there is another topic..." as Aizen spoke, his form began to dissipate, until he was completely gone. Most of the espada were initially confused, until they saw Ulquiorra staring once more at the throne, where Aizen was now seated.

"...That needs to be gone over" he finished. He inwardly chuckled at the disgruntled faces on some of the arrancar, namely Barragan, Nnoitora and Grimmjow. Sometimes it just took ruffling the feathers of your subordinates to amuse oneself, Aizen mused inwardly.

"...And what topic is that, Aizen-sama?" said Halibel, speaking for the first time since Aizen arrived.

"A good question, Halibel" the former captain said with a disarming smile before turning to Gin "Gin, would you?".

"Sure thing Cap'n Aizen" the fox-faced man said. Taking a step back, Gin reached high above his head into seemingly empty air, before pulling down a screen, complete with diagram. A diagram of what seemed to be the Seireitei.

The silver-haired man also gave Aizen a pleading look, to which Aizen responded "Very well, Gin". His grin wider than usual, Gin produced a long pointer from the contents of his robes. All of the espada looked at one another before looking back at the screen.

"As you are all aware, The Seireitei is built in a circular pattern, consisting of three layers: The outer ring, which holds all of the residential areas and trade centers, The Central Court, where the Gotei 13 reside along with the Academy, and the very center, which houses Sokyouku Hill, the Senzaikyu, and the Central 46" Aizen paused every now and then so that Gin could tap each spot mentioned on the diagram.

"Now, in todays skirmish, the Black Ridge Gate-" Gin took a red marker from his robes "-was destroyed. This will play a key part in the next battle" Gin took a few moments to put a large 'X' through the north gate. "I have known Yamamoto a long time, and if there is one flaw he possesses, it is his overbearing pride. He will no doubt attempt to make up for his error in failing to defend the gate by placing numerous sentries around that point, using a great deal of his forces to protect it. Part of this reason is because beyond the gate is the point where he holds the Rukon refugees" Gin wrote the word 'REFUGEES' between the crossed out gate and the next ring, only the ink was somehow blue. The espada paid it no heed.

Aizen smiled. "And it is that predictable planning of my former Captain-General that will make this battle that much easier. Only Tousen, Gin and I know this out of all of us in our gathering, but directly parallel to the refugees holding grounds on the edge of the second ring inwards is the Academy. That is where all of the new recruits and all of the students gather". A blue circle surrounded where the Academy was, compliments of Gin. "And, according to my inside sources, the defense around that area has diminished somewhat due to the crisis caused by the Black Ridge Gate's destruction".

The brown-haired despot took a moment to smooth back his hair. "The plan is quite simple, actually. Three of my espada will take a batallion of arrancar, approximately five-hundred, and march directly for the destroyed gate, with full intention to sack the temporary space for the refugees. Their main goal however, is to cause a decent amount of damage to the wall on the other side of the village for, if you would take a closer look at the diagram, that wall is what seperates us from the First Division". Several of the Espada nodded and murmured to themselves as Gin drew several stick figures with swords near the ring by First Division and making an 'X' through the wall by it.

"That is the first part of the strike" Aizen said, silencing everything once more "and therefore..." he gestured towards Ulquiorra to finish.

"...It is bait" the melancholy espada droned.

"Precisely. As I mentioned before, the Academy is directly parallel to the refugees. As another part of the initial strike, the armies that march in will start several fires that should raise panic and disarray amongst the villagers". Gin's marker had switched back to red apparently, for there was red scribbles filling most of the outermost ring. "Once the fires are seen, then the true plan goes into motion".

"No less than four espada and a two large batallions of arrancar are to charge the Southern Gate. By large batallions, to inform the newcomers, I mean seven hundred and fifty arrancar per one, meaning fifteen-hundred arrancar are to be with the four espada leading the charge. Once the gate is overwhelmed, and it will be, the force will perform a straight advance..." There was silence as Gin crossed out the South gate and drew a blue arrow leading straight into the Seireitei.

"To the Academy" Aizen finished with a smile.

There was obvious discontent with the plan by a few of the espada, and Grimmjow was first to voice such.

"Academy? That's full of a bunch of piss-ant students! What the hell kind of challenge is that?!" he grumped.

"There is no challenge in it, Grimmjow" Aizen replied. "But in order to perform an effective stranglehold on the Seireitei, their reserve of fresh troops must be cut. And to do so, the Academy must be sacked. An army needs soldiers, after all".

"But killing students?" Halibel questioned, her voice full of doubt.

"They're shinigami and that's all that matters!" Ricardo snarled, cracking his neck "If they're too weak to defend themselves, then that's no fault of ours!".

Aizen couldn't argue with his newest Tenth espada's logic. "Precisely as Ricardo has put it".

"Seems sorta...I dunno...underhanded?" Stark said, making most of the other espada jump. Nobody even knew he was awake, much less listening.

"Oh? Is it not what the shinigami do to the lesser hollows?" Aizen reasoned "They send their students to prey on the weaker ones to become stronger, do they not?".

"True..." Stark shugged., lightly yawning in the process.

"Are there any other questions regarding the plan?" Aizen asked, gesturing for anyone to speak up.

There was none.

"Good...now, volunteers? Or should I just assign positions?..." Aizen mused aloud.

"Aizen-sama; I would like to lead the assault on the Academy, if such pleases you" Ulquiorra said almost immediately. Aizen was taken aback.

"...If such is your wish, Ulquiorra, then that is fine by me" the former captain conceded, leaning forward in his throne and lacing his hands together so that he could rest his chin on them. "Any others to go with him?".

"I will go as well" Armando declared, straightening himself and offering a bow.

"Hell, why not? My blade needs a some carnage for a change!" Nnoitora said "Count me in".

"I would like to go with Ulquiorra-sempai as well, if that is acceptable" Arcelia piped up, almost unheard through the growing noise.

Aizen nodded, his eyes closing briefly as if in thought before slowly opening again to regard those who hadn't volunteered yet. "And for the Black Ridge assault?".

"Captains will probably be there, so that's a given for me!" Grimmjow cackled, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

Again, Aizen nodded. "I have an idea, Grimmjow. If you would, take Toshiro and Ricardo with you" he offered.

Grimmjow was quick to complain. "Eh?! I get the rookies?! The hells up with that?!".

"That's not entirely true. Ulquiorra has the same amount that you do" Aizen said calmly.

"Yeah, but he also has Nnoitora! He's an idiot, but at least he can take care of himself without me babysitting!".

Nnoitora glared at the shorter espada. "Hey, fu-"

"There will be no more discussion on this matter, Grimmjow" Aizen said warningly, the room becoming slightly heavy again.

"...Y-yes, Aizen-sama" Grimmjow grumbled, shoving his hands back into his pockets.

"Very well, then. All of you may go now" Aizen announced, waving his hand in a shooing gesture. "The attack will begin for Grimmjow's army in eight hours. Do not fail me". As he finished his sentence, the huge throne room doors slowly opened, until they were wide and to the side, giving the espada an exit. And one by one, the espada all began to file out of the room. Several minutes later, the last of the echoing murmurs of Aizen's henchmen were gone, and the throne room doors shut.

Gin turned to look at his former captain. "Were ya expectin' a different group fer the Academy, Cap'n?" he said knowingly "Or was it jus' as you expected?".

Aizen chuckled. "You know me well, Gin" he replied, his pensive pose unchanged.

Tousen shifted uncomfortably. "What does this mean, Aizen-sama?" he asked.

"It only means that our eyes must not only be set on our goal..."Aizen said, as he leaned more comfortably into his throne "...but behind us as well. Daggers, after all, more commonly strike at the back".

Gin whistled. "Dissent in the ranks, d'ya think?".

A deep chuckle. "Something around those lines, Gin...Something around those lines...".

XXXXXX

Once they were away from the rest of the Espada, Ulquiorra and Armando began to move deeper into the bowels of Las Noches. So intimidating was their presence, that it was almost as if the shadows recoiled when the two arrancar came near. Their footsteps were a warning to any lesser being meandering in the hallways that they were to either stand aside, or face consequences. They stood side by side, moving at almost the exact same pace, and making the other seem like some shadowed copy.

"You let Aizen-sama demean you again" Ulquiorra commented offhandedly.

Armando chuckled bitterly. "Do you expect otherwise? I'm sure that you are aware that a majority of the numeros are convinced that my position was more birthright than of skill".

The malancholy espada turned his head to regard Armando. "Is that what you believe?".

"Of course not, father" the dark-haired espada replied "I am well aware that I can easily defeat those who patronize me".

"Then why not silence the critics?" Ulquiorra inquired.

"To what end?" Armando pointed out "It would only strengthen their lies".

"Respect must be obtained through example" Ulquiorra said "Continue working for Aizen-sama behind the lines, and you will obtain little less than scorn".

"Much like you have?" was the calm reply.

Ulquiorra's eyes closed momentarily before slowly opening once more. "You could say that".

There was silence for most of the rest of their walk before Armando spoke once more.

"Forgive my words" he apologized, turning to regard his father "They were spoken out of place". Ulquiorra's gaze was still in front of himself.

"If only that were true" Ulquiorra said wistfully "Unfortunately, I have lost much trust from my fellow peers and, worse yet, Aizen-sama".

"You are worried?" Armando questioned, surprised by the admission.

"For your mother, nothing more" Ulquiorra assured him "which is exactly what I am afraid Aizen-sama knows all too well".

Almost immediately upon turning a corner, the fourth espada found himself in a tight embrace. Upon feeling the familiar touch, Ulquiorra's defensive instincts softened. He looked down into the familiar chestnut-colored hair that he had come so accustomed to seeing, and was met with the gray eyes of Orihime Inoue as she looked up at him with a smile.

The one who had so saved him, and yet ruined him all at once.

"It's good to see you two" she said in her usual cheerful tone. The years had been kind to the girl. Her skin was smooth and beautiful, her body now more accentuated with woman-hood, no longer adolescent in any way. She had even grown a bit taller, even if it was only about an inch or two.

Though his face showed no emotion, Orihime knew better. She had learned to search for emotions in the melancholy espada's eyes, rather than expect his face to randomly burst out in joy. It mattered little to her either way.

And it was because of that that she was able to sense the troubled feeling inside her lover. "What is it, Ulquiorra?" Orihime asked, her tone edged with worry.

A pale hand rested itself upon her head. "Not here. We must go elsewhere" was the response.

With a nod, Orihime shifted her attention to Armando next. "I've heard about your promotion. I'm so proud of you, Armando!".

The dark-haired arrancar gave Orihime a wistful smirk "Are you truly, mother? Or are you disappointed that I have become yet another of Aizen-sama's weapons?".

"Of course I'm proud!" Orihime exclaimed, jumping up a bit and placing her hands on her hips for emphasis "Why wouldn't I be proud of my son?" To prove her point, the overexcited woman went up and embraced her son, crushing him against her ample chest.

"There is something you must see, Orihime" Ulquiorra reminded her, placing his hand back into his pocket "It is best that you see as soon as possible".

"Oh! Um, alright then Ulquiorra!" she said, releasing Armando from her bearhug. The dark-haired arrancar quietly coughed as he felt his ribs.

"Come" Ulquiorra said quietly, as he turned and continued down the hall. Orihime and Armando were quick to follow.

XXXX

Once inside the privacy of Ulquiorra and Orihime's quarters, Orihime took a seat on the large bed, while Ulquiorra went more into the room's center. As the fourth espada reached for his left eye, Orihime gave a slight shudder.

"I'm sorry" she said, as Ulquiorra gave her a questioning look "but no matter how long I'm here, that eye thing always makes me sort of queasy...".

Ulquiorra let out a rare chuckle. "Then feel free to cover your eyes. But you must see what I have to show you when the time comes".

Orihime nodded, looking off to the side at Armando, who was currently situated against the wall.

While his wife turned to the side, Ulquiorra silenty removed his left eye from the socket. He held it in his palm for a few moments before holding it out before him and crushing it into a strange, powdery substance that spread all over the room.

Several minutes later, Orihime's hands were over her mouth.

"There's going to be an attack on students?!" she gasped, eyes watering "AND refugees? How could Aizen-sama do this?!".

Ulquiorra was in front of her almost immediately, his hands upon her shoulders. The chestnut-haired girl immediately buried her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

"This is awful..." she choked "Isn't there any way to prevent this?".

"In a way" Armando said, which caused Ulquiorra and Orihime to both look over at him.

"I'm sure you have already thought of bringing her with us" he went on, looking at his father "Since Aizen-sama no longer needs her to constantly remain in Las Noches, there should be no problem with you having her aid our 'cause' ".

Orihime looked back up to Ulquiorra, who was frowning.

"I have thought about it..." he started "But...".

"But?" echoed Armando.

"..But, there are risks of course. For one, there is the possibility of captains attacking. Second, for what I have in mind, it requires the cooperation of the fourth member of our group...".

"Do you mean Arcelia Ramos?" Armando questioned, to which Ulquiorra nodded curtly.

Unexpectedly, Orihime gave a start that almost pushed over the fourth espada.

"Oh! Arcelia-chan's in your group?! That's just fine, you can trust her!" she piped up.

Ulquiorra was genuinely surprised. "You...know her?" he asked, putting Orihime out at arm's length so that he could look at her.

Orihime nodded. "Of course! She and Tatsuki know each other really well! She was one of the first arrancar to help train her in zanpakuto use!".

At the mention of the girl Tatsuki, Ulquiorra nodded. Apparently one of Orihime's nakama, the girl had actually given herself to Aizen in order to continue protecting her friend. It was a shock to many, particularly Orihime. But when he had seen how much that it had meant to her, Ulquiorra had done everything in his power to make Orihime's desire a reality without another thought. It had taken several years, but after many conversations with Aizen, Ulquiorra had convinced his master to grant Orihime with her first fraccion, Tatsuki.

Seeing at how much livelier his wife was, Ulquiorra had decided that he had done the right thing.

Admittedly, it took the fourth espada to grow used to the girl, and it the feeling was mutual. There were several times where Tatsuki and Ulquiorra had gone head to head and a tearful Orihime had to pull them apart.

"Ulquiorra? Are you alright?" came Orihime's worried voice.

The fourth espada shook himself from his daze. When he looked once more at Orihime's face, it was full of concern.

"I'm fine" was the expected response.

"So...will you allow me to go with you?" the woman pleaded, looking deep into Ulquiorra's eyes.

He pursed his lips in thought. "Are you certain that you wish to go?" he asked one last time.

Orihime nodded quickly. "Yes, Ulquiorra...Please?".

That did it. With just that small note of pleading, what little doubt in the fourth espada's mind was crushed. Ulquiorra closed his eyes for a moment before giving his answer.

"...Very well" he conceded at last "But you must remain close at all times".

Orihime placed her head against her arrancar lover's chest. "I know I'm safe with you, Ulquiorra...you're one of the few people who wouldn't hurt me here...". His right hand found it's way back to the top of Orihime's head, while his left wrapped gently around her waist. When Ulquiorra looked over to the side by the door, he saw Armando still waiting.

"Mobilize our forces" was the curt order from Ulquiorra. With a bow, Armando stood up from leaning against the wall and exited the room. As he closed the door, he chuckled to himself, all too aware that the forces were quite mobilized already. Once the door had shut, the two lovers gazed into each other's eyes before passionately locked lips, eager to spend the next few hours in private enjoyment.

* * *

Back in Soul Society, Ichigo Kurosaki was one tired man. Straight after the emergency captain's meeting, the orange-haired captain had hastily made his way to the refugee area. He had spent hours there, helping in any way he possibly could. Whether it was carrying lumber for makeshift walls and barriers, or to carrying an elderly woman's belongings to her home, Ichigo had done it all. He was even more grateful to Soi Fon's diligence in making the meeting so hastily. It had saved him more time than he had thought.

Currently, Ichigo was seated upon a crate, which was one out of many scattered about the area. Seated across from him was the person in charge of refugee defense, none other than Uryu Ishida, Quincy extraordinaire.

The orange-haired captain took a long swig of water from the canteen at his side. "Jeez, I never thought that I would appreciate water this much" he half groaned, half chuckled.

The bespectacled quincy across from him gave a nod as he sipped his own water. "I have found myself saying that often when I'm out here".

"There's a lot that has to be done, that's for sure" Ichigo said, pouring some of the water on his head "Why haven't you requested for more hands out here, Uryu?".

"I get more than enough volunteers amongst the liutenants" Uryu replied, fixing his glasses "Besides...I don't particularly enjoy asking your commander for assistance. In case you forgot, I-".

"-Don't like shinigami. Yeah yeah, I've heard it a thousand times" Ichigo interrupted with a dismissive wave.

Uryu frowned. "I don't exactly see you throwing out praises for Yamamoto, Ichigo" he countered cooly.

Ichigo shrugged. "He's not a bad guy..." he said, wiping sweat from his forehead "He's just...difficult to work with at times you could say".

"So are you saying that you have finally come to terms with what he did five years ago?" Uryu questioned.

"I decided that I had gotten over that a long time ago" Ichigo admitted, laying back on the large crate "I've had a good amount of time to look back on that situation a lot over the last few years. I realized a while back that he was only doing the right thing at the time. I may not agree with how he thinks, but i can understand where he was coming from".

Uryu frowned slightly as Ichigo continued. "Besides...he didn't have to send us help" Ichigo continued "So he can't be all bad. He's just old".

The statement struck Uryu as odd. "You consider old age a bad thing?" the quincy asked.

Ichigo shook his head. "Nah...Just a point where you think that since you've seen it all, you know it all" the orange-haired captain said sagely.

It was quiet for several moments, with only the sound of shinigami bustling about amongst the refugee souls. Finally, Uryu let out a chuckle.

Ichigo sat back up. "What's so funny?"

Uryu gave the shinigami a smirk "It's nothing. Just...I never really imagined you as one who gave such statements".

" 'Such statements'? What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked, wondering if the remark was an insult or praise.

"Statements that contain any amount of sense and wisdom" was the answer. Definitely NOT a praise.

"What the he-...Aww forget it, I'll kick your ass later when I'm not so tired" Ichigo said grumpily.

Uryu fixed his glasses again. "Well, you're in luck. Your replacements are here".

Ichigo turned around, so that he was met with the sight of a group of fellow shinigami. Leading the group was Izuru Kira, Rangiku Matsumoto, and, surprisingly, Ikkaku.

"Ikkaku? What're you doing here?" Ichigo asked, standing up from the crate.

"He figures that since he had played a vital role in the gate's destruction, that he should do the right thing and help guard it" Kira explained. He looked over at the bald captain. "Did I get that right?".

"Pfft. You could of explained better, but it's better than me having to admit it" Ikkaku said, putting his zanpakuto on his shoulder "If ya need me, I'll be on the wall".

Rangiku smacked Ikkaku on the back of his head. "You could at least thank Kira, Baldy" she scolded.

The back of the bald captain's head turned red from rage, but to his credit, Ikkaku merely muttered and started off towards the ruined Black Ridge Gate. Rangiku offered Ichigo a wave before going amongst the civilians.

Ichigo frowned. "Is this all that the Old Man's sending? This is kind of a small group".

"Oh no, there's much more volunteers on their way" Kira assured Ichigo "Captains Komamura and Ukitake will arrive soon after their personal affairs are taken care of, and I believe that Soi Fon has given us a large amount of her Stealth Corps units. It is even possible that Yumichika will arrive".

Ichigo nodded. "Alright, Izuru. Thanks for the info. I think I might be able to get in a good night's sleep for once".

The blonde gave an encouraging smile. "You try and do that, Captain Kurosaki. We'll handle things here".

Ichigo turned to regard Uryu. "Good to see you again, Uryu. And good luck with the defenses". He received a curt nod from his old friend, which was good enough from the quincy.

As he began to leave, Ichigo took a quick over-the-shoulder-glance at Kira, who was busy catching up with Ikkaku. It amazed the third captain that the man could still talk to him with such respect. Ichigo had felt personally responsible for Kira's sudden and unexpected transfer to the Thirteenth Division to serve as their lieutenant. Other people were also surprised, as it was expected that Kira would assume the mantle of captain in the place of Gin Ichimaru. But for whatever the reason, Ichigo was given the captain spot instead, and he had chosen Rukia to serve as his lieutenant when Kira was moved.

But the change certainly didn't seem to insult the blonde man in the slightest. He had politely declined Ichigo's offer to replace him as a captain or to be allowed back into the division as a third seat. In fact, some thought that the transer had done Izuru Kira good. His confidence as an officer had risen, and the ghosts of the past seemed to have eased greatly. He no longer lamented in his quarters, and the whispers of those who would call him a suspicious traitor had died down. Things seemed well for Izuru. And Ichigo couldn't be happier for the man.

And then there was Rangiku Matsumoto. Though he had only known the eccentric woman for a short amount of time, Ichigo knew that the woman had changed considerably since her captain's death. Ikkaku often told Ichigo in his drunken states about the woman's odd changes, whether it was her constant exhaustion, or her overbearing diligence in her duties. Ichigo didn't find the last part as odd as the first. He just figured that Rangiku was merely trying to cope with her captain's death in her own way, which was to tackle her procrastinatical nature and tame it to an extent. Somewhat of a 'make up for what you didn't do before' sort of thing.

But Ichigo didn't have any more time to wonder over other people. At the moment, he seriously felt like collapsing in his nice, soft bed in his quarters. With a small burst of dust, the Third captain was gone from sight.

XXXX

"I don't understand" Rukia said with a frown, as she wearily readjusted her robes "why the sudden change in our posts? Certainly the Academy needs to be defended as well".

The female messenger kneeling in front of the door bowed her head apologetically. "My apologies, Liutentant Kuchiki. But according to Captain General Yamamoto, there are already sufficient troops stationed at the Academy and the South Red Hollow Gate".

Although she was still skeptical, the raven-haired woman didn't argue. Rukia let out a tired sigh as she brushed some stray hair out of her face.

"Very well. I will report to the Black Ridge Gate soon. Is there anything else?".

The messenger shook her head. "There is none, madame".

"Alright then. You may go now" Rukia said. The messenger bowed once more and was gone in a burst of sound.

As cool as her words and temperament seemed, Rukia was far from happy. The disgruntled woman wasn't pleased with the inconvenient change in the Seireitei's defenses. As far as she was concerned, if the gate was damaged, the surrounding areas that were key staples to the Seireitei should be as equally protected as the gate itself. But Rukia knew that her thoughts were deaf to the Captain General. After all, she was only a liutenant, and even if Ichigo voiced her opinion he was only one captain. Sometimes, Rukia cursed her General's stubborness.

As Rukia retrieved her zanpakuto and her liutenant's badge, she heard another whoosh of air at the front door. Agitated already, she angrily turned around, fully prepared to reprimand the newcomer.

"Look, I'm really not in the mood for- mmph!" Rukia's words were cut off as her lips met familiar ones. Her anger dampened somewhat as she started to gratefully return the surprise kiss. The kiss didn't last long though, because Ichigo, the 'intruder', stood up hastily.

"Whoa, did I do something wrong? What's with the greeting?" he said defensively.

Rukia blushed lightly. "Sorry about that...I didn't know that it was you, Ichigo. I suppose that I couldn't tell because I was too busy grumbling mentally".

Ichigo smiled warmly. "Hey, it's alright, we both had long days" Then, almost as if he was hit with a sudden realization he glanced at her right hand, which was holding her sheathed zanpakuto.

"Hey, where are you off to? I thought that you didn't have guard duty at the Academy tonight" Ichigo frowned.

Rukia returned the look. "As did I. But that's two things. For one, I no longer defend the Academy" If Ichigo was surprised by that revelation, he wasn't going to like the next "And secondly, I now have to join the watch at the Black Ridge Gate".

Ichigo looked dumbfounded. His surprise was then quickly replaced with anger.

"What the hell's the meaning of this?!" he demanded.

Rukia's brushed some of her stray hair aside. "According to the messenger, the Captain-General demanded it. He feels that the gate is our top priority".

"But we have a huge group there already! If the enemy were to attack somewhere else!..."

"Then we will have to prepare for heavy losses" the raven-haired woman finished grimly "I agree with you, Ichigo, but there is little that we can do. Captain-General Yamamoto is firm in his decision, or so I was informed. It seems that the loss today has affected his judgement".

"Affected his judgement is putting it mildly! He's gonna overcompensate the Black Ridge Gate's defenses! What if Aizen was expecting this?!" he yelled.

Rukia's frown deepened. "Then we have been played as fools".

Silence filled the room as Ichigo stressfully ran both of his hands through his hair.

"Are you sure you have to go?" he said after a lengthy silence "you've been working hard lately. You deserve a rest".

"As do you Captain" the petite woman said with a smirk.

Ichigo frowned. "This isn't about me".

"The same goes for me. This is about the Seireitei" Rukia countered.

Ichigo didn't relent. "I don't like this. What if something happens?".

Rukia almost surrendered to the pleading note in his voice. Personally, she would have liked nothing better than to toss her zanpakuto on the ground and have Ichigo carry her to bed so that they could get the peace and quiet they deserved. But she also had to remember that her duties had to be enforced.

"Things will happen in a war, Ichigo" she scolded "Besides, don't you think I can take care of myself?".

"I know that you can!" Ichigo growled "but this is something entirely different! I have a bad feeling about all this, Rukia. And my gut is rarely wrong".

"Ichigo..."

His concern was touching, but it also began to worry the raven-haired woman as well. He was right. Something in the air gave off a sense of foreboding. She couldn't fight off the feeling that something big was going to happen.

The night was going to be a long one indeed.

* * *

Not much action in this chapter(for some), but don't worry. The next will satisfy most critics. I hope. Again, please R&R. Remember, the more I get, the faster I update.

-GinIchimaru321


	6. Chapter 5: The Moonlit Raid

Alright, I know that the title is pretty self-explanatory, but I'm focusing on the content! :P And to let you all know, the next chapter will be coming soon, seeing as I've managed to slip back into the groove.

Also, I'm not sure if I should raise the rating of the story, due to the language and whatnot, or just leave it alone. Thoughts?

Enjoy.

**Chapter Five: The Moonlit Raid**

The area surrounding the Seireitei, known as the Rukongai, was seperated into four common sections. There were the unnamed hills, which lay to Seireitei's west, and the deep and endless eastern woodlands. Up north lay the mountainous range known as the North Alley of Loitering Spirits, and down south, the South Alley of Flowing Spirits, which was a desert wasteland. Souls inhabited every one of these sections, some obviously more than the other. The hills were populated with the most souls, with the woodlands being the second. The North Alley of Loitering Spirits housed the third largest spiritual population, and the desert realm of Flowing Spirits was near empty. This was mostly due to the fact that it was inhospitable to say the least. But there are always stories that are heard from time to time. Stories of evil and darkness that ward off stray spirits. And to their credit, the stories were enough to make the desert as empty as humanly possible.

It was that exact emptiness that made the desert the perfect deployment spot for Ulquiorra's forces.

As silent as the night itself, fifteen-hundred arrancar soldiers trudged across the sands. The freezing cold air of the desert night did little to hamper their progress, so used were they to their own homeland's barren landscape. They marched in eerily organized fashion, seperated into battalions ten soldiers wide and ten deep. Every step of their legs and every wave of their arms was synchronized to perfection.

They were truly Aizen's weapons of destruction, sharpened and tested to his exact approval.

At the head of the giant marching war machine were the four Espada leading the attack. Nnoitora and Arcelia flanked the fourth espada Ulquiorra. Directly by his side was Orihime who , despite being human, managed to keep in step with the tiring march. Armando walked silently a few steps behind.

"Huh. If ya ask me, Aizen's bein' a bit paranoid by dropping us off so damn far into this stupid desert" Nnoitora commented "As if we don't get enough of it back home, he decides to let us see a new one!"

Arcelia looked over at her much taller comrade "With a force this large, Nnoitora-san, Aizen-sama is right to place us much further away from the Seireitei. Even with most of us concealing our reiatsu, an army of this size would be hard to miss".

Nnoitora sneered. "I get that much, woman. But being put so damn far out seems pointless when we have to exactly coordinate our attack with Grimmjow's. For all we know, we could be too late".

"Aizen-sama was aware of something like that occuring, and so he plans to deploy Grimmjow's forces once we have reached a certain point" Ulquiorra stated.

"Humph. Whatever" was Nnoitora's only response.

Orihime stole a glance at the army that was marching behind her and gulped before looking at Ulquiorra. "Are all of these troops necessary just to sack the Academy?" she asked.

Ulquiorra returned the look. "According to Aizen-sama, it is" he said almost distastefully.

"He wants to, as he said it, 'put an effective stranglehold on the Seireitei' "Armando said from behind Ulquiorra.

The brown-haired girl's head slightly drooped. "I don't know if I'll even be able to help anyone with these kind of numbers...".

"Do not worry, Orihime-dono" Arcelia assured the girl "everything will be fine".

Orihime gave the tomboyish arrancar a nervous smile. "I really hope so, Arcelia-chan" she said. When she once more glanced at the silent, hungry arrancar that trudged behind her, she couldn't help adding quietly "For all of Seireitei's sake...".

XXX

"This is going directly against Aizen-sama's orders, you know"

Grimmjow sneered at Toshiro's warning, not giving a verbal response. He gave a few hand signals to his unit behind him, and their advance upon the Seireitei continued. It was true; Grimmjow's unit was not supposed to leave for at least another fifteen minutes. But the ever impatient Sixth Espada would have none of it. With the most blatant disregard to Aizen's orders to date, Grimmjow gathered up his men and had them warped straight to the Alley of Loitering Spirits. Their pace was quick and silent, and even with five-hundred arrancar in tow, Grimmjow's progress was unhindered. They practically glided down the mountain paths, and were soon running across flat ground like a ghostly stampede.

After several minutes of travel, the teal-haired espada's unit were soon marching in exactly the same abandoned Rukon area that Toshiro had dueled Shuuhei in several hours ago. The soldiers glanced around in confusion, and Ricardo frowned at his superior.

"What the hell is this? This doesn't look like the Seireitei" he complained.

Grimmjow snorted. "Well, look here. We got a fucking genius. Of course this isn't the Seireitei, you dumbass. It's about a mile that way, if you'd bother looking". He thumbed over his shoulder and when Ricardo and the others looked around him, the Seireitei loomed in the distance.

"So why are we here?" Ricardo demanded "Aizen-sama ordered us to charge the gates".

"There's gonna be a change of plans" Grimmjow answered, an indifferent expression on his face "I don't know about you, but if what Aizen said was true, the Seireitei's eye is completely on the spot we're headed to. If we were to go there, even with our numbers we'd be squashed. They're playin' defense, after all".

Toshiro crossed his arms and nodded in agreement. "So what are you suggesting?" he asked.

The teal-haired espada responded with a dark chuckle. "I got an idea or two...Aizen-sama wanted to put me in charge of a battle. I'm about to show him exactly why he did that".

The two new espada exchanged nervous glances. Their psychotic leader was known for his unpredictable behavior, being almost borderline schizophrenic. Any idea that he were to come up with would likely have disasterous results.

"With all due respect, Grimmjow," Toshiro said, taking a step forward "Ricardo and I do not agree with this. If Aizen-sama were to find out, there will be severe consequences".

"Then go an' pussy out for all I care" Grimmjow replied, walking past the two and towards his men "but when my plan works, and Aizen asks why you two weren't involved, I'll say that you were too scared to participate and should be stripped of your ranks".

The statement was a slap in the face to Ricardo "You sonnuva...!" he started, grabbing his zanpakuto and starting towards Grimmjow.

Toshiro's hand shot out to block his path, and the tenth espada glared at him.

The white-haired arrancar returned the glare with one of his own. "You and I together wouldn't be able to beat that animal, Ricardo" he reminded "let him do what he wants".

Though he obviously detested the idea, Ricardo's hand released his zanpakuto slowly. Grimmjow cackled.

"That's a good boy" he taunted, drawing a growl from his long-haired comrade "Now listen up, maggots. This is how it's going to go down...".

* * *

Uryu wiped sweat from his brow as he climbed his way out of a newly dug trench. It was one of three, all set one after the other on the inside of the gate. Each was about five feet deep, six feet wide, and were about ten feet long, each seperated by about five feet of space. Their primary functions were originally to be set as pit traps, but when the diggers had miscalculated, Uryu decided to turn them into trenches for the kido users.

After admiring his handiwork, Uryu turned towards one of his helpers, Izuru Kira.

"How goes the rest of the defense preparations, Kira?" he asked.

Kira, who seemed equally worn, gave a slight bow. "All goes well" he answered "Captains Komamura and Ikkaku are stationed atop the wall alongside fifty of the Kido Corps best members. Captain Ukitake, and Lieutenants Rangiku Matsumoto and Rukia Kuchiki have organized the volunteers into more stable defensive units and are finished preparing the makeshift barriers. The Eleventh has sent over fresh troops, as has the Fourth, and Captain Soi Fon has lent us one-hundred of her Stealth Corps members".

"Excellent. And has that lunatic captain of Twelvth Division given me what I requested?"

The blonde liutenant nodded. "They are ready to be used as you see fit".

Uryu nodded. All was coming together rather smoothly. Despite the gate's loss, the shinigami didn't slack in their duties, and Uryu doubted that their position would be taken without an extreme hassle on the enemy's part.

A lower-ranked shinigami suddenly ran up to the two men and knelt down. "Sir! Captain Komamura has requested that you come up to the wall immediately!"

Uryu frowned at the kneeling shinigami. "Whatever for?" he inquired.

"He said that there is something you should see" the man answered.

The bespectacled quincy sighed stressfully before waving off the shinigami. He took a moment to massage his temples with his left hand.

"I suppose that I better see what the fuss is about" Uryu sighed, before looking at Kira "Come with me. I'm sure that whatever it is that the Captain wants me to see, the other officers are there as well".

"If you want" Kira said with a shrug. And with a few bursts of shunpo and hirenkyaku, the quincy and the thirteenth lieutenant were atop the wall. Uryu's guess was correct it seemed, for all of the officers that had volunteered were standing near the edge. Aside from Komamura and Ukitake, no-one else seemed to notice the two men's arrival.

Uryu adjusted his glasses before speaking. "What is the problem, Captain Komamura?".

The beast-man's face was filled with worry. "I think that it is best that you see for yourself, Uryu-san" he replied, gesturing behind him. When Uryu stepped around Komamura and looked out over the wall, his eyes were met with a peculiar sight.

"A fire?" he said aloud, drawing stares from the other officers "What is this?". Far off into the distance, a telltale orange glow of what was unmistakably a fire was spewing smoke into the air.

"We aren't exactly sure, Uryu" Rukia said, peering from around her captain "fires don't just happen here. It was obviously started manually".

"Never a more obvious ploy" Kira remarked, crossing his arms "What does the enemy think to accomplish by this? All they've done is let us know that they're here".

"Well, there are two things I can think of" Ukitake said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully "From what we've seen, the arrancar officers have little regard for subtlety. I believe that this is a direct statement that shows they need no surprise against us. A challenge if you will".

Uryu frowned. "That could be true...but it doesn't really give us a direct answer".

"Which brings me to my second point" Ukitake went on "that fire is in a Rukon district. As you know, all eighty of the districts are spread out from the Seireitei in concentric rings, almost like a spiral. They completely encircle us".

"So what?" Ikkaku said.

The sickly captain frowned at Ikkaku, but continued anyway. "Meaning that if the district over there catches completely on fire, then it will spread to the others. It will continue doing so-"

"-Until the entire area surrounding the Seireitei is aflame" Uryu finished, adjusting his glasses.

"Precisely" Ukitake confirmed.

There was silence as all of the defenders processed the information.

"So what do we do?" Rangiku said, breaking the silence "it's obviously a trap, but if we ignore the fire, everything will be destroyed".

"Either way, we lose somethin'. It's best that we prevent the greater of the two evils" Ikkaku pointed out.

"So you're suggesting that we walk into a potentially dangerous situation?" Kira inquired.

"Either that or we let ourselves be cooked alive, and then attacked" Ikkaku said.

"Captain Madarame is correct; we have to stop the fires, no matter the cost" Rukia stated "I myself will go there, if such need be".

"And have Ichigo castrate me? Not a chance, Rukia" Uryu frowned, which got a few chuckles and giggles from everyone present.

"I do not mind going to prevent the fires" Komamura said "I will need men just in case, however".

"But that leaves us one captain short on defense" Uryu reminded him "We need a replacement".

"The closest divisions aside from the first that are nearest to our position are the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth" Kira said "I'm sure that one of the captains there would be a suitable choice".

Rukia was quick to object. "That would be unfair" she said with a frown "Ichigo, Renji, and Captain Soi Fon all participated in the battle today, and are tired from the ordeal. As for Captain Unohana, I doubt that she would allow herself to leave the injured unattended".

"If the situation is as serious as it seems, we will have little choice" Komamura said somberly.

The raven-haired woman looked at the fox-man in surprise "Little choice? Forgive me Captain, but I must object".

"He is right, Rukia" Ukitake said "if Komamura is to go and purge the fires, we will need a captain that is close by to act as an emergency replacement if we were to be attacked".

The unfairness of the situation lit a fuse inside of Rukia. For the first time in her life, she was downright furious with her superiors, and for the first time as a shinigami of the gotei thirteen, she was going to let her true opinion be heard.

"This is downright idiotic!" she snapped, drawing looks of surprise from everyone "you would push captains that have been on the go with little rest in months into another battle?! What is stopping anyone from getting Captain Kyoraku? Or Captain Kurotsuchi? Or even my brother?!".

Ukitake was beside himself. "Rukia, please understand that Captain Kurotsuchi is constantly busy. He sees almost nobody these days. And as for Shunsui and Captain Kuchiki, they are on the other side of where we are. The time lapse would simply be too great".

Rukia dared to go further. "Then what of the Captain-General? His compound is on the other side of the wall! Surely he can-"

"That's enough, Liutenant Kuchiki!" Komamura growled, drawing himself up to his full intimidating height.

"But..!" Rukia started, but Ukitake also held up his hand.

"As your former captain, Rukia, I ask you to please calm yourself..." he said soothingly "I understand your concerns, but this is war. Sometimes, unfair things must be done to accomplish our goals".

"...Forgive me, Captain Ukitake" Rukia apologized softly, though deep inside she meant none of it.

Uryu noticed his friend's distress. He coughed slightly, so that everyone's attention was on him. "We don't know for sure if we need any other captains here as of yet. We should refrain from requesting immediate reinforcements until we are completely sure of the situation. Retrieving three exhausted captains for a situation that didn't call for it would be rather foolish, wouldn't it?".

There was obvious logic in the quincy's words, and all around nodded.

"Captain Komamura, you can still go ahead and investigate the fires with as many men as you need" Uryu said "But as for the rest of us, we should keep an extra close eye on the area. And I mean the entire area. The gate may have been where Yamamoto stationed us, but my duty is first and foremost to protect the civilians from attack. If the gate be sacrificed in the process, then so be it". Uryu lowered his glasses, as if he was daring anyone to object to his statements. To his credit, there were none.

"Very well. I will take fifty men with me to the site of the fire" Komamura offered "Once we have it under control, we will attempt to track the perpetrators".

Uryu nodded in agreement. "Very well. Good luck" the quincy conceded. The beast captain stepped past the Quincy and was gone in one of his surprising bursts of great speed. Uryu turned back to the rest of them.

"The rest of you should return to your positions" he ordered the rest "Prepare to dig in; I have a feeling that this battle is going to be fierce". Everyone in the group nodded in agreement, and started to go about their own ways. All except for Rukia.

"Thank you" she said, though she still looked upset.

"I saw Ichigo today, Rukia" Uryu frowned "You should control him. He was the first person here to volunteer after the battle, and he stayed the entire time working up until the others came to relieve him. If he doesn't watch himself, he's going to end up a wreck".

"I'll let him know you were concerned" the petite woman said with a knowing smile.

"I'm not worried about him" Uryu snapped defensively "I am worried for the people he is supposed to protect. He can't do his job if he's run ragged".

"Alright, Uryu. If you say so" Rukia grinned, as she started going off to her own post.

Once she had gone, Uryu took off his glasses and, after cleaning them thoroughly, replaced them with a sigh.

"Just what the hell is going to happen?" he wondered aloud to himself. He got no answer.

XXX

Komamura's keen sense of smell almost became his undoing at the site of the fire. The acrid smell of ash and smoke watered his eyes and nauseated him greatly. Still, the seventh captain had been able to bring his unit to the location of the flaming district with little trouble. Komamura decided that in order to effectively stop the fire, it would be best to start from the source. He would go alone into the heart of the fire, while the ten members of the Kido Corps accompanied forty of his own troops would wait outside. Once he had started using his kido to stop the blaze, the ten kido members, each guarded by four soldiers would surround the fire and help beat it down.

The fox man's huge frame easily found safe paths to walk upon, and his densified reiatsu protected him from the surrounding fire. But Komamura soon discovered that finding the center of the place was much harder than he had thought. The heat was getting to him, and any minute his troops stationed outside could be attacked. And who knew how many enemies there were. After trying to go a bit further and finding no other accessible path, he decided to just come to a stop.

"Hmmm...perhaps it is just best that I start from here" Komamura thought aloud to himself "If I progress any further, I am likely to burn to death". Taking a deep breath, the beast man began to focus his reiatsu. Then, he quickly placed both hands in front of him, aimed slightly at the ground.

"Destructive Art 58! Tenran(Imperial Inspection)!!" A large and powerful tornado-like blast came from Komamura's outstretched palms and hit the ground at an angle. The resulting impact upheaved a huge amount of earth, and waves of dirt flew all around him. A large area of the fire was instantly smothered by the cascades of debris.

Satisfied that his idea had produced positive results, Komamura threw back his head.

"NOW!" he roared.

XXX

"That was the signal. Let's get to work, men" said the highest ranking kido corpsman in the group. His subordinates nodded and all started to find a position around the monstrous fire. The kido corps member looked at his guards and gestured for them to follow.

"The fire should be targeted at the base. I need to be closer in order to effectively fight it" he explained. The shinigami protecting him all nodded and proceeded to follow the man.

As the corpsman stepped forward, however, he became aware of a peculiar sound. Apparently he wasn't the only one who heard it, because his protectors all started looking around.

"What the hell was that?" one shinigami said, as he fully unsheathed his zanpakuto and looked around.

"I have no idea...it sounded like...cracking?" another said, as he stepped in front of the kido corps officer and looked around.

When the shinigami who stepped in front of the corps officer took another step, the sound came again. From the ground.

Something caught the kido corps officer's eye at that moment. As he kneeled down, he picked up a broken object from beneath the man's sandal. The shinigami looked confused.

"What on earth is that?" he said, squinting his eyes. The object inbetween the officer's fingers was broken in half. It was dirty now, but it was clearly white. And disc shaped, the officer noticed.

"Wait...something about this is familiar..." the officer said, slowly standing up.

"Sir...they're all over the place" one of the other shinigami said. When the kido corpsman looked around, he soon discovered that the man was right. Though they were all mostly broken and buried in dirt, more of the objects littered the ground.

"But what does this me-GRAARGGAAH!!" Upon hearing the cry of his ally, the officer turned around. His eyes widened in terror at what he saw.

Countless portals were opening all around him and his group. One of the men was now on the ground, half of his torso bitten clean off. A hollow the size of a large bear stood over his body and let out a blood-curdling shriek.

"S-sir!" One of the shinigami threw himself in front of the officer, slashing downwards with his zanpakuto. The hollow cried out in pain and recoiled, it's left hand cleanly severed off.

The other two shinigami likewise surrounded the officer in a defensive formation. Catching on, he began his chant, trying to ignore the countless portals appearing all around the fire. He tried to ignore the other screams of his comrades from far off, or the many hollow that were almost raining from the sky.

"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring! Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm! The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!" the officer's reiatsu spiked, and it caused a frenzy amongst the hollow. As one huge wave, they all began to swarm towards the powerful reiatsu.

The officer threw his left hand in front of himself while the the right stayed back, beginning to glow red. "Destructive Art 63! Raikoho(Thunder Roar Cannon)!!" There was a brief flash, and a gigantic lightning bolt arced though the air, causing a huge section of the wall of hollows to be evaporated into nothingness. As soon as the spell left his hand, the man put his other hand out front.and shouted "Destructive Art 31! Shakkaho!!".

The fireball that erupted from the officer's hand flew at another group of hollows and they too were destroyed, set aflame instantly.

But there were too many, even with the experienced kido corps member. One by one, each of the shinigami that tried to valiantly defend him were snatched into the tide of hollows, their cries echoing into the night. And it didn't take long for the officer to finally succumb to the numbers game soon after. Struggling and launching kido the entire time, he was soon brought underneath a clawing pile of ravenous evil.

XXX

Komamura's defiant roar was enough to send even the hungriest of hollows scattering, but his hands did much better. His huge fists crushed skulls and bones alike, and flung countless hollows flying into the flames that still danced around the fox captain. When two hollows attempted to charge him from the front, he clasped his huge hands around their throats and tossed them aside like small children. And though Komamura's heart ached when he felt every single reiatsu of his men disappear, it also lit a rage within the seventh captain. The creatures couldn't even hope to stop the furry juggernaut, who swung his arms with abandon and great fury.

Several hollow attempted to dogpile the fox man. About five had clambered onto his back, and all of them dug their claws and teeth into his tough exterior. But Komamura was not to be stopped, and he brushed off the minor hollows with ease.

"Enough! I don't have time to waste on the likes of you!" Komamura growled, as he grasped his zanpakuto "Roar, Tengen!"

Komamura's reiatsu jumped to a new level, as did his battle fury. With a powerful swing of his arm, the fox man's zanpakuto ripped apart another crowd of hollows. But if the hollows who were farther away thought that they had excaped doom, then they must not have seen the huge, floating blade that followed the initial swing. Another wave of hollows fell.

The hollows suddenly stopped their mad frenzy, each one falling back well out of Komamura's reach. All as one, they began to slowly surround the fox captain, moving with unnantural synchronization. Komamura was more than a little perturbed by this sudden turn of events.

"Bet your wonderin' what the hell's goin' on, eh shinigami?" came a loud and arrogant voice from behind. Cautiously, the giant captain turned around.

The voice had come from Ricardo, who stood cockily with his arms crossed and a grin plastered on his face.

"Bit of trouble? Heh, I guess that Grimmjow's not as stupid as he looks" he commented "You guys fell for his plan hook, line and sinker"

The fur on the back of Komamura's neck stood up in agitation. "Who are you?! And where are your comrades?!" he demanded.

Ricardo snickered, his spindly fingers drumming the end of the wakizashi that hung from his hip "The name's Ricardo Salazar, also known as Decima Espada. And as for my comrades, they're on their way to your precious gate as we speak, kibbles 'n' bits. But don't worry; while they're gone, I'll keep ya company. I like playin' with dogs, after all".

Komamura's face scrunched up angrily. "You think that I will sit here and let them go on with their attack?"

A high-pitched laugh made it's way from the arrancar's lips. "I wouldn't underestimate me, if I were you. I was given the job of keepin' you here, and I don't take well to failure".

"Nor do I, arrancar. If I must break you in half to return to my comrades, then so be it!" Komamura let out a loud bay, and charged his opponent, fangs bared.

Ricardo waited until the fox-captain was closer before he struck. Once Komamura came within five feet of him, Ricardo drew his wakizashi from it's sheath and performed a quick backhand swipe with his wakizashi, then releasing it in midair to reverse his grip and stabbing low for Komamura's knee.

Though his charge had plenty of momentum, Komamura had not thrown his wits aside. The moment he saw the tell-tale flash of steel, he slowed his charge just in time to avoid Ricardo's vicious backhand. But due to his great size, he was unable to dodge as Ricardo's blade stabbed deep into his knee. The giant grunted in pain, but instead of retreating, he pressed on with the attack. With great speed of his own, Komamura launched a lariat with his left arm that was aimed straight for his opponent's head.

Yanking his wakizashi out roughly, Ricardo jumped back enough so that the fox-captain's large arm hurtled by. Just the wind from the attack almost knocked the slim arrancar off of his feet. But the experienced fighter was far from impressed. Seeing the opening created by Komamura's swing, he went back on the offensive.

"I told ya not to take me lightly, dog breath!" he taunted as he jumped back in for the attack "Now you're gonna pa-OOF!".

While he had avoided Komamura's lariat from his own arm, Ricardo failed to dodge the mighty reach of Tengen. The gigantic armored limb knocked the cocky arrancar flying, and he bounced several times upon hitting the ground, twice off of his head. He landed none-to gracefully on his back.

"Ugh...ya cheating bastard" he groaned, as he lay sprawled out "what kind of attack is th-HOLY SHIT!"

Ricardo was barely able to throw up his weapon in time to intercept the gigantic blade that was about to crash down onto him. The force created a small crater, and all of the hollows went back a step. Komamura was on Ricardo like a rabid wolverine, reaching down into the smoke and grabbing the espada by his neck. With another roar, Komamura lifted Ricardo high into the air above his head and slammed him onto the ground behind him.

What Komamura didn't know is that Ricardo had actually landed onto his feet.

With expert efficiency, Ricardo dove low, his wakizashi leading the way. The cruel blade dug deep into the back of Komamura's right leg, and the beast man let out a cry of anguish. In a rare instance, the seventh captain dropped to one knee. And in a quick burst of sonido, Ricardo was in front of him.

"You're not the only one who has raw power, shinigami!" he yelled. Completely abandoning his zanpakuto, Ricardo's hands shot out and grasped Komamura's right forearm. He yanked the fox captain forward and Komamura, to his great surprise, almost left the ground as he went towards Ricardo. As the fox-man was about to make body contact, Ricardo turned around fully so that his back faced his opponent and pulled Komamura's arm over his shoulder. Then, using his hips as a fulcrum, the crafty espada actually flung the mighty seventh captain over his shoulder and onto the ground using a nearly flawless hip toss.

The air was blasted out of Komamura's great lungs. Aside from Kenpachi Zaraki, no other being had ever manhandled him in such a manner. To make matters worse, Komamura had hit his head upon some debris that had been on the ground, and his vision was swimming.

Ricardo walked over to his zanpakuto and resheathed it. Then, he turned back towards Komamura and cackled.

"Don't tell me you're done already? You're a big-ass pushover, you know that?!" he shouted. As Komamura struggled to regain his vision, Ricardo used sonido to bring himself to the fox-man's side and plant a powerful kick to his side. Komamura was rolled onto his stomach from the force, and he winced as he felt several ribs break.

"Phe. What a waste. I thought you'd be tougher than this" Ricardo complained as he reached up to his eye covering "Oh well. Can't always have your way, I suppose"

From the corner of his eye, Komamura watched his opponent as he pushed up his eyepatch-circlet, revealing a solid black eye. The air started to become filled with a low hum as the beginnings of a cero blast began to form from it.

"So long, shinigami" Ricardo said, offering Komamura his middle finger as a farewell notion "CERO!".

The next thing that happened was too fast for the cocky espada to register. Komamura suddenly disappeared from his vision before suddenly reappearing up close and personal.

"What the hell?! You possum-playing sonnuvabitch!" Ricardo shrieked. He tried to desperately halt his cero but it was too late. He heard Komamura say one thing before it made contact.

"Binding Art 81! Danku(Splitting Void)!".

XXX

Uryu couldn't help but become very worried after witnessing the sight that had happened in the distance. He had saw the fires begin to die down, and had seen the kido performed by Komamura. But any sight after that was far from welcome. His eyes had widened in horror as he saw hundreds of dark portals open up in the sky and hollows flooding out of it. And his anxiety grew more when he felt Komamura's reiatsu suddenly flare up against another hostile presence. It was obvious that if Komamura had to raise his reiatsu to those kinds of levels, there was no mistaking that he had indeed clashed with an espada.

And so Uryu had decided to make the most of the time that Komamura had given him. He had ordered everyone to take defensive position. He had also sent Rangiku and Kira to retrieve help from another captain and to get more men to his position. Thankfully, Captain Ukitake had managed to get another hundred members of the kido corps and had squeezed fifty members of his own division out from their barracks and to the gate. The bespectacled quincy had expressed his thanks personally.

The entire force now found themselves stationed at the gate. Around six hundred shinigami in all, two captains, a lieutenant, and Uryu himself were prepared to take whatever the enemy had to throw at them.

"Sir" came a sudden cry from his left "The enemy approaches!". When Uryu looked out, he was met with a rather unpleasant sight.

Grimmjow and another arrancar were standing about eighty yards from the gate. Behind them, Uryu made out many rows of organized arrancar, and behind them still, a huge sea of hollows. After a quick calculation in his head, Uryu cursed silently. The enemy forces were high in number, at least halfway to two-thousand units from what he could see.

Rukia stood behind Uryu, her expression grim "Even with our preparation, it seems that the enemy has come well-armed. Let's hope that Rangiku and Kira return soon".

The quincy could only nod.

"Orders, sir?" a Kido commander asked, causing Uryu to look in his direction.

"...I want about half of you to prepare defensive arts" he ordered "the rest of you, prepare to use long range spells. We need to hit them hard before they come to us in order to even the field".

"Yes sir!" The commander quickly relayed Uryu's orders to all of the other corpsmen, and all of them began their chants.

"And now, comes the all important moment in the beginning of a battle" Uryu murmured, as he held out his right hand. His quincy cross swung slightly in his grip

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "And that is?".

The spiritual bow, Ginrei Kujaku, formed in Uryu's hands. With blinding speed, Uryu put up the bow and launched an arrow straight at the enemy horde.

An arrancar that had been chatting with his friend was suddenly blinded by a small burst of light. When he looked once more at his friend, he was shocked to find that the arrancar was missing about two thirds of his head. The body slowly slumped to the ground.

"The first shot" Uryu replied.

XXX

Toshiro's eyes widened at the amazing accuracy of the quincy archer. The shot had been dead on, and the snowy-haired arrancar doubted that he would have been able to dodge had the arrow been pointed at him

The sixth espada, for his part, could only laugh. "That's pretty damn impressive. But I ain't done mobilizing just yet!".

Toshiro looked at his comrade. "You mean there's more?"

Grimmjow grinned evilly. "Your damn right there is. There are benefits from bein' a former adjuchas". When he saw that Toshiro didn't quite understand, the teal-haired espada waved him off dismissively. "Just watch" he growled.

Grimmjow brought up his fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp and loud whistle. It's ghostly note reached even the top of the Black Ridge Gate.

Uryu frowned, his bow still aimed towards the enemy army. "What's going on?" he murmured.

New portals began to open up in front of Grimmjow's force. Though there were far less than what had appeared over the burning rukon district, a wave of dread passed over the entire shinigami defense.

And there was a good reason for that.

Uryu's eyes widened at the horrible sight unfolding before him. Gigantic gillians began emergin from the portals, all lining up in front of the invading army. They poured out of their portals like thick masses of sludge, and they towered high into the sky like foreboding sentinels. When they finally stopped emerging, Uryu counted at least twenty of the giants.

"Good god..." Rukia whispered, her grip tight on her zanpakuto.

Her choice of words were shared with the entire defensive coalition, as all looked terror-stricken at the ominous sight before them.

Grimmjow's elation for the coming slaughter was at an all time high. With a sadistic cackle, he waved his hand at the Black Ridge Gate.

"CERO!!" he howled "Pound 'em with cero! Don't stop until you're dead!" The beastly gillian all began to simultaneously open their huge, gaping mouths. Large, red balls of energy began to converge in them.

The quincy shook himself from his daze and quickly barked out more orders "Fools! Don't just stand there! Prepare the highest level barriers you can! The rest of you, fire at will! We need those gillian destroyed!".

While Uryu desperately called out to his men, the line of Gillian as one launched a barrage of cero. Twenty gigantic beams of destruction flew at the walls of Seireitei.

In response, hundreds of voices cried out together "BINDING ART 81!! DANKU!!"

Just as the deadly ceros were about to make contact, a single, semi-transparent gold barrier appeared in it's path. The impact shook the entire area, and huge clouds of dust clouded the battlefield.

That wasn't enough to stop Grimmjow. With a wave of his hand, he shouted more orders.

"Gillian! Advance! And as for the rest of you maggots...CHARGE! Tear down the entire damn wall! Kill! Kill 'em all!!" The arrancar army roared in excitement, and the thunder of their footsteps was like a symphony of doom.

Though smoke mostly clouded everyone's vision, it did little to the eagle-eyed Uryu. He quickly lifted his bow and, after taking a second to aim, launched another arrow.

A gillian that was preparing another cero was suddenly knocked off of it's feet, a bluish arrow streaking clear through his eyes. It disintegrated before it even hit the ground.

Uryu called out to his men in all of the confusion "Return fire! Aim your more accurate spells at the gillian! The rest of the offensive line: launch any area of effect attacks at the main army! Take as many as you can! And make sure that those barrier spells are used often!"

XXX

Grimmjow's adrenaline was usually always high whenever a battle was to be fought. But this was something beyond anything he had ever experienced. Aside from his battle with Ichigo, the sixth espada had never felt such excitement. He felt like a god amonst ants as the spells of the weaker shinigami bounced harmlessly off of his _hierro_. He felt like he could outrun the devil himself as spells and pesky arrows from that quincy whizzed past.

When the teal-haired espada saw the white wall coming up fast, he increased his speed instead of slowing down. With a yell, he leapt at the wall and hit it at a run. Using sonido, Grimmhow propelled himself up the wall so fast that no-one could even tell that he was approaching.

So it was a very unpleasant surprise when Grimmjow flew up into view, twisting slightly in midair and his right palm glowing red.

"What's up, shinigami?!" he called, as he thrusted his hand out in front of him "Ce-"

Grimmjow's cero was cut short when he was forced to pull out his zanpakuto to intercept a blade that had almost pierced his throat. The force had actually knocked the sixth espada back from the wall. As Grimmjow slightly descended from the force of the attack, he heard someone speak.

"Every wave, be my shield! Every thunder, become my blade! Sōgyo no Kotowari!" Grimmjow halted himself in midair, and straighened himself. Just in time to block another attack from not one, but two zampakuto.

The teal-haired espada looked at his attacker and smiled wickedly "Well, look what we got here!" he said "I got myself a captain!"

His opponent, who turned out to be none other than Jushiro Ukitake, had both of his javelin-like blades crossed before him. Grimmjow's zanpakuto was hooked between their jitte-reminiscint hooks.

"Captain of Thirteenth Division, Jushiro Ukitake" he announced.

"Sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques" Grimmjow growled in response. Both glared at one another before pushing back, causing some seperation.

Rather than continue small talk, Grimmjow went straight back to his offensive. Once he had been forced back, he boosted back forward with sonido, launching a powerful spinning roundhouse kick. Ukitake stepped aside from the attack, whirling about as he did so. He instantly took Grimmjow's back and slashed low for the espada's lower back, and used his other blade to swipe at the back of Grimmjow's neck.

The attacks struck home, but were merely shallow wounds that couldn't really harm Grimmjow. In fact, they seemed to fuel him. With a shout, he leapt higher and turned about in midair, attempting to smash Ukitake's head in with an axe-kick.

"Captain Ukitake!!" Rukia cried, as she saw her former captain about to be hit.

The white-haired captain crossed his blades again, stopping the attack from hitting home. He grunted as the shock reverberated through his weapons and traveled through his arms, threatening to numb them. The two began to descend at a fast rate, spells and ceros flying by them.

"Not bad, not bad!" Grimmjow shouted at Ukitake "But let's kick it up a notch, eh?!" At his words, the espada lifted up both of his hands and opened them wide. Cero began to form inside the center of his palms and he brought them in front of himself "CERO!".

There was an explosion in midair, and the two were temporarily engulfed in smoke. A few seconds later, Grimmjow flew out of the small cloud and, after doing a reverse somersault, planted both of his feet against the wall. With a grunt, he launched off of it straight back into the smoke.

When he emerged from the other side, he also forced out Ukitake. Both of Ukitake's zanpakuto were now surrounded by electicity, and they bit and burned at Grimmjow's bare fist that had collided with them. But the espada paid it no heed, instead pulling back his other fist and slamming it into the blades. Ukitake's arms once again threatened to numb. Rather than risk such a thing happening, the experienced captain quickly flash-stepped out of the collision and down to the ground.

Upon landing, Ukitake's ears caught the dull sound of sonido behind him, and he quickly leapt aside as Grimmjow missed with a haymaker that had been aiming for his head.

Panting, the sickly captain stifled a cough "You're powerful. Definitely everything that Ichigo had made you to be".

Grimmjow's demeanor changed at the mention of Ichigo "That punkass told you about me, eh? So what?" he sneered.

"You make a good point. There's obviously no use wasting words on one who only values bloodlust" Ukitake said, returning to his defensive stance.

Grimmjow laughed darkly, as he slowly began to slide his zanpakuto from it's sheath. Ukitake's eyes widened.

"Hahahaha! That's the spirit! Now, how about I shift into next gear?"

Ukitake frowned determinedly at his adversary, even as he felt Grimmjow's reiatsu spike drastically.

"Grind, Pantera!!"

* * *

Sorry to break it off here, but I didn't want an overload. Plus, my head is aching...

Please R&R

-GinIchimaru321


	7. Chapter 6: A Knife in the Dark

Goodness, how long has it been? Well, it's better than the drag between chapters 2 and 3 isn't it?!

First off, did anyone else besides me see Nightwish and Sonata Arctica in San Francisco on the 12th? It was godly, my readers. Simply godly. I do still wish that Tarja was still with Nightwish, though. But sadly, that's not possible.

This chapter took me a while to get running smoothly, I'll admit. And it took several, stress-involved, computer-hating, brain-squeezing hours. But now that it's done, I think it's something I can be happy with. And for those who were eager for some speeding of the plot, don't worry. It's getting there.

Enjoy, my dear readers. :)

**Chapter 6: A Knife in the Dark**

Uryu planted a foot into the face of an arrancar that had tried to mimic Grimmjow's reckless charge, sending it flying and screaming to the ground below. Wasting little time, the bespectacled quincy pulled back his arm once more and fired another arrow at the oncoming gillian wall, hoping to lessen the damage that they were already doing. The arrow struck home, dropping another one of the huge menos. But the rest of the line continued it's stubborn advance, launching devastating barrages of cero all the while.

"Damn it all! There's too many!" he growled, already redrawing his arm for another shot. He let fly another arrow into the air, so that it sailed high in an arc-like pattern. It crashed in a blue burst atop another gillian's head, killing it just as it let off another of it's deadly blasts. The cero was met with another protective barrier that flew up just in the nick of time. Several lines of white lightning flew from behind the protective art and collided with another one of the destructive giants. Its loud howl ripped into the air above the rest of the battlefield as it staggered back, gravely injured.

Uryu had known that time wasn't on their side from the beginning. True, they had been given a good amount of men, but it wasn't nearly enough to meet another attack so soon. And especially not an attack of this caliber. The unexpected strategical advance of the enemy he now faced strengthened this fact, and the quincy knew that it wouldn't be long before they were overrun. Cursing a few more times in his head, Uryu chanced quick glances over his shoulder. Just where were the reinforcements? he thought stressfully.

It was then that Uryu was hit with a powerful reiatsu, almost knocking him and many others off of the wall.

"W-what in the world?!" he exclaimed. Quickly running towards the edge of the wall, Uryu attempted to scope out the source of the powerful energy.

The unwelcome sight of Grimmjow in his released form came into his view. Lithe and wild-looking, the powerful espada was hounding Captain Ukitake with swift and fierce blows, coming from every possible angle. The white-haired captain was reeling from the assault, but to his credit was able to semble a defense against the maniacal Grimmjow. Even from this distance though, Uryu could tell that the captain's attacks were either completely uneffective, or that the arrancar was ignoring all of them. Either way, Ukitake needed assistance.

Uryu quickly reached behind himself, pulling out a deadly Seele Schneider from his pocket. Putting it into his bow, the experienced archer brought up the specialized cutting arrow in line with his sight, taking aim at Grimmjow. And even though the teal-haired espada was fast, Uryu was able to quickly decipher a pattern in his movements. All he needed now was an opening.

"Hopefully this will help, Ukitake-san" he murmured as he prepared to release.

XX

With another fit of psychotic laughter, Grimmjow pounced at his opponent, claws leading the way. He swung his arms wildly and recklessly, throwing full force behind each hit. And every time, Ukitake parried aside the attacks, and attempted to launch retaliatory swipes of his own. But it was seemingly all for naught; the sickly captain's strikes were almost harmless to the seemingly unstoppable espada, and the latter kept right on attacking.

"You're not half-bad, Captain!!" Grimmjow cackled "But I expected a bit more outta ya!". The animalistic arrancar leapt forward in a somersault motion, his tail swinging down with great force and cutting through the air straight down towards Ukitake.

The white-haired captain avoided the attack, moving off to Grimmjow's right. As he did so, Ukitake performed a quick instep and thrusted forward with Sogyo no Kotowari's left blade. This time, his attack was far more effective, digging straight into Grimmjow's right thigh. The espada let out a howl of pain as Ukitake twisted his zanpakuto. The white-haired captain then swung his other blade low, aiming for his opponent's ankles.

This time, it was Ukitake who cried out in anguish, as Grimmjow launched a dart-like blast from his elbow. The attack went straight through Ukitake's hand, knocking the zanpakuto out of it, and leaving a hole in the center of his palm.

Through sheer discipline, the thirteenth captain grit his teeth and kept his grip on the zanpakuto still in Grimmjow's leg. Using all of his strength, Ukitake wrenched Sogyo no Kotowari from Grimmjow's leg and leapt back from the espada.

His back hit something in midair, and Ukitake heard the terrifying growl of Grimmjow's voice in his ear.

"You're gonna pay for that, you slimy little bastard!" Grimmjow hissed, clamping his powerful hands around his adversary's neck. Ukitake gagged, and he attempted to pry himself free from Grimmjow's iron grip. He accomplished little, except for accidentally causing Sogyo no Kotowari to slip from his grasp. Vainly, he tried to stretch out his fingers for the handle, but it fell far too fast. As it spiraled downwards, Grimmjow cackled sadistically and he began to turn Ukitake's head to the side.

His laughter was silenced as a blue arrow flew straight into his right shoulder, almost severing it.

Again, the teal-haired espada cried out as the deadly Seele Schneider tore through the shoulder's ligaments. Once he felt the hands leave his neck, Ukitake quickly flash-stepped forward and turned around, hands forward and palms out.

"Destructive Art 33! Sokatsui(Blue Fire, Crash Down)!" he shouted. A blast of blue fire smashed straight onto Grimmjow's already injured arm, and the force knocked the espada right to the ground. Once the attack had hit home, Ukitake landed softly onto the ground, retrieving his zanpakuto. He looked over at the wall and, upon spotting Uryu, gave the quincy an appreciative nod.

The air suddenly became thick with Grimmjow's reiatsu again, and when Ukitake whirled back around, the sixth espada was standing hunched over. His body shook with his dark chuckling.

"Heheheh...you stupid insignifigant bastards...do you really think...that even with your pathetic tactics...THAT YOU CAN STOP ME!?" he roared. His hair flew wildy behind him as his reiatsu flew into new, higher levels. Grimmjow then lifted up his left arm, and placed his right hand upon the elbow.

"Ichigo Kurosaki told ya all about me, did he?" he sneered, as his palm began to glow red "then I'm sure that he's told you about one of the espada's personal weapons!".

Ukitake's face was drained of all color. He turned around, attempting to call out to those on the wall.

But it was too late.

"GRAN REY CERO!!" The monstrosity that erupted from Grimmjow's open palm was unlike anything ever seen before. Even the gillian's powerful cero were dwarfed by the awesome power of the gigantic red beam that now flew towards the Seireitei's walls. Many of the arrancar and hollows, including several gillian, were caught in the blast, but it mattered little to Grimmjow at this point. He wanted the fool who had interfered in his battle to suffer. That, or be vaporized. Either way worked.

Uryu couldn't believe what power that the espada had, but he had little time to be in awe.

"RUN!" he ordered his men, most of whom were frozen in fear "Don't try to stop it! Get out of the way!". Those with enough wits about them were quick to obey, hurling themselves from the wall and down into the inner ring.

The blast tore through the upper half of the wall, collapsing chunks of rock inside the structure. Those shinigami who did not heed the quincy's warning and escape were instantly disintegrated. It continued to go forward, rising high into the air. It was stopped, after what seemed like forever, when it collided into the Senzaikyu. The top of the massive tower exploded, and the great structure too began to collapse. A huge, semi-circular hole now adorned about a hundred feet of the wall connected to the Black Ridge Gate.

Grimmjow had done more damage to the Seireitei in one battle than their entire siege team efforts against Las Noches in five years.

Uryu leapt from the damaged wall into the Seireitei, seemingly floating in midair. He then started raining arrows atop the enemy forces as they all merged as one and charged straight for the gate's further damaged entrance. Many fell, but the tide advanced nonetheless.

Using hirenkyaku, the quincy archer landed atop the broken archway of the Black Ridge Gate and continued to fire. But it just wasn't enough. Like a mass of insects, the arrancar army rampaged towards the gate.

And then there was the problem of an enraged Grimmjow nearly knocking his head clean off of his shoulders.

The teal-haired espada threw a flying side kick at the quincy's back, hoping to kill him off before he even realized Grimmjow was there. But the quick reflexes of Uryu were too finely tuned to have him be taken out so easily. The moment that his instincts instructed him to dodge, Uryu threw himself forward in a frontflip, so that he was now upside-down in midair above the gate. Taking up his bow, he fired a large volley of arrows at Grimmjow, propelling himself to the other side of the gate.

With a spin of his body, Grimmjow was able to use his long tail to deflect a large amount of the arrows that Uryu had launched at him. Those that weren't deflected burned holes in the espada's skin. But if even Ukitake's released zanpakuto wasn't able to deal that great of damage to the espada, then the quincy's arrows were definitely not of much effect.

"Ya run like a puny little bug! Fight like a man!" Grimmjow shouted. With a powerful leap, he cleared the huge gap that seperated him and Uryu, letting out a primal roar. He hit the other side just as Uryu landed, much to his enemy's dismay.

Grimmjow's smile was wide as he straightened himself before Uryu. "Well well, if it ain't the little bitch who shot me during my fight" he said "Without distance, that bow of yours ain't gonna do you much good".

The quincy didn't back off. "You're right; it won't. But that doesn't mean that you've neutralized all of my arsenal". The bow in his hand brightened, and Uryu reached behind himself momentarily before producing another Seele Schneider, holding it in a sword-like fashion.

"By the honor of the Quincy, you will not take this gate" he declared, holding his spiderweb-like bow before him like a shield, and assuming a melee stance.

Before Grimmjow could respond to the bold statement, there was a quick burst of rushing air. The next thing they knew, Captain Ukitake was beside Uryu, weapons in hand.

"Do not think for a moment that our fight is finished" Ukitake said determinedly "if you plan on invading the Seireitei, then you can only do so when I can no longer defend it!".

Grimmjow fixed his opponents with a cocky grin, even snickering a bit.

"Two powerful opponents, eh? I sure as fuck ain't gonna complain. Let's just hope that all of yer shit ain't talk!"

His words bothered the two defenders of Seireitei more than he would know. But they had no time to dwell on them, as the powerful Sexta Espada proceeded to go right back onto the attack.

XX

While the epic confrontation was taking place atop the wall, the gigantic horde of arrancar and hollows had begun to attempt to force their way into the Black Ridge Gate. And despite the constant blasts of kido coming from the trenches Uryu had requested to be dug, the mob of evil spirits moved forward almost undeterred.

That is, of course, until a gigantic wave of ice fell over the front of their army. A few seconds later, the unfortunate victims were shattered into countless pieces. Confused, the arrancar forces refreshed their attack. Their blind charge prevented them from seeing a lone, raven-haired figure inside of the gate, pulling back her zanpakuto.

"Tsugi no Mai! Hakuren!" Rukia's command was loud and powerful as she thrusted her pure white zanpakuto Sode no Shirayuki forward. Another wave of ice washed over the group of intruders and, with a swing from Rukia's zanpakuto, they were destroyed just as their comrades were moments ago. The enemy forces immediately halted again, and fell into disarray.

Still far from discouraged, the proud lieutenant of Third Division pointed at the approaching horde and looked at the shinigami that were massed behind her.

"Advance! Do not let them attain any more damage! The civilian's lives are in our hands!" she shouted. Confused and now somewhat leaderless, the troops had little choice but to rise under Rukia's desperate rally. The shinigami army roared and charged towards the gate, raising their zanpakuto high above their heads. Those that were left of the kido corps quickly assembled into five man squads and prepared their arts. The pre-dug trenches that Uryu had made before the battle were refilled with excess kido corps members, and they all began to take aim at the gate.

The arrancar army, stunned and disorganized from the unexpected ice attack from Rukia, once more gathered themselves and charged through the gate's entry, determined to enter the third time around. This time they were met not with ice, but with steel. The air was filled with battle shouts as shinigami and arrancar alike drew blades and clashed into one another. There were chants and shouts as dozens of spells rained atop the invading army's front line.

Rukia smirked, knowing that the advantage now lay in the Seireitei's favor. So long as the arrancar were forced to go through that small entrance, even with the gillian, their numbers mattered little to the shinigami. The defenders merely had to blast the cramped arrancar army with spells and other projectiles, and constantly retain a strong defensive standpoint. With any luck, the enemy commanders would be either too demoralized or too injured to continue the battle, and a forced retreat would follow.

As the shinigami army continued their retaliatory charge, the petite woman joined the mad rush of her fellow shinigami. She stopped about fifteen feet away from the main point of collision, her hand pulled low for a destructive art.

"Oh lord, mask of blood and flesh!" Rukia began chanting "all creation, flutter of wings, you who bears the name of man, truth and temperance, unleash your claws upon the wall of sinless dreams! Destructive Art 33! Sokatsui!!" The raven-haired lieutentant's spell of choice formed and launched easily from her palm, sailing lazily over the shinigami troops before dropping straight onto the heads of the arrancar host. There was a flash of blue and the screams of enemy soldiers filled the air, along with burning body parts.

One of several reasons why Rukia loved kido so much.

She had little time to celebrate her accomplishment, however. It wasn't until she heard footsteps rushing at her from her left that Rukia realized that she was being attacked. Taking Sode no Shirayuki's grip in both hands, Rukia quickly turned around and angled her zanpakuto so that it intercepted two blades that were about to take her in the back.

Having not gotten a full glimpse of her opponent, the raven-haired woman began her introduction. "Lieutenant of Third Division, Rukia Kuchiki".

Her opponent pushed forward, forcing Rukia to plant her right foot back to avoid being overwhelmed.

"What's with shinigami and their formality? Battle isn't the place for such pleasantries" said her opponent, who was none other than Toshiro. Both of his weapons were crossed in an 'X' pattern against Rukia's zanpakuto, quite close to the guard. His height really didn't play too much of an advantage as he would have liked, but he was still taller than his petite opponent, which gave him a slight advantage in the lockup.

But Rukia hadn't heard him. Her eyes were wide and her throat failed to form words.

"W-what? Im...impossible! Captain Hitsugaya?!" she exclaimed in disbelief and her shoulders going slightly slack "What are you doing here? How are you even alive?!".

Her adversary's teal-colored eyes narrowed dangerously. He pushed forward again, which helped snap Rukia out of her shock.

"Who the hell's a captain?" he snarled, suddenly losing his cool-headed attitude "that idiot with the '69' on his face called me a captain, too. What's with the shinigami around here? Are they all defected?! I will tell you my name, girl! It is Toshiro Hitsugaya, Novena Espada! I am not, never was, and never will be, a lowly shinigami captain!".

At first, Rukia wasn't able to respond, and the only thing heard was the grating of metal as the three blades scraped against one another. She frowned after several moments and, to Toshiro's surprise, pushed back.

"You're right. You cannot be Captain Hitsugaya" she said firmly, her posture straightening "he would never betray his homeland. You must be yet another one of Aizen's many deceptive tricks! Well it will not work! I'll destroy you, you mockery!!".

Toshiro smirked. "That's better, little lady. Now how about showing me what you can do with that blade?"

"Gladly" Rukia replied, her violet eyes glowing with intensity.

At first, there was no movement between them as Rukia and Toshiro both attempted to anticipate the other's move. Then, at the same time, both combatants forced up their weapons, breaking the deadlock. Recovering faster, Toshiro went in first with a spin, his left hand butterfly knife sweeping in low in a backhand swipe and his tiger hook coming straight behind at a slightly higher level. Rukia met the attack head on, moving forward and turning her zanpakuto almost upside down to parry the lower blade. Once she felt the two weapons make contact, the petite shinigami did a rotation of her own, stepping forward with her right foot and pivoting so that she was back to back with Toshiro. The movement was perfectly executed and caused the arrancar's attack to hit thin air. Reversing her grip on Sode no Shirayuki's handle, Rukia thrusted it behind her towards Toshiro's back.

Though he was surprised by his opponent's quickness, Toshiro was far from overwhelmed. The moment his attack had missed, Toshiro made up for his miscalculation by leaping forward in a short somersault. He hit the ground lighter than a veteran gymnast, and he was quickly onto his feet.

But this time, Rukia was the one who was leading the offensive. Assuming her normal grip on her zanpakuto, Rukia had turned back towards her enemy and dashed forward, both arms pulled in to her right at chest level. When her opponent was back on his feet, Rukia thrusted forward with her blade.

Almost as if he was expecting the attack, the snowy-haired espada swung himself back around, at the same time executing an outside crescent kick with his right leg. The kick knocked Rukia's zanpakuto, and Rukia herself due to the force, off to the side. The raven-haired lieutenant hit the ground at a roll, and she found herself on one knee.

"Damn it! What power..!" she gasped as she got back to her feet. She was immediately forced to put Sode no Shirayuki in front of her at a horizontal angle to stop Toshiro's downward strikes with both his blades from cutting off her arms. Rukia was once more on one knee, and she struggled to brace herself against the espada's obvious leverage advantage.

Toshiro gave his opponent a nod of acknowledgement "Amazing. You're merely a lieutenant, but you hold your own against me well" he complemented "it seems that you have more of a stomach than my previous opponent. But let's see if you have the brains to match". At his words, the white-haired arrancar performed a backflip, his left foot going right under his and Rukia's blades and catching the woman square in the chin. Her guard broke and Rukia was knocked back, stars in her vision. The arrancar continued to go in the air and due his great agility, he was able to do a complete flip and plant his feet in Rukia's chest before even hitting the ground. She was blasted backwards several yards while Toshiro landed back onto his feet.

Rukia landed hard onto her back, and her momentum had actually caused her to roll up to her shoulder-blades. But instead of letting herself fall flat and become prone, the experienced shinigami continued the roll, so that she was sitting in a crouch. When she looked back up at her opponent, she was met with the sight of him already five feet away, running low and preparing to finish her off.

"Check, shinigami!" he shouted out to her. Toshiro then leapt forward and performed another corkscrew motion attack, this one in the form of an uppercut-like strike with his right blade coming down low then sharply rising upwards.

This motion again proved to be a mistake on his part. He blinked, and the snow-haired espada was able to just catch the sight of Rukia, still crouched low, dash just beneath his right-hand blade. As he saw the last of her zanpakuto's long white tassel go by, Toshiro found that he was somehow inside a large circle of ice, and that his feet were quickly becoming harder to move.

"Some no mai! Tsukishiro!" he heard Rukia call out from behind him. The air around Toshiro grew intensely cold as he saw the ice that had formed upon the ground begin to rise rapidly in an attempt to engulf him.

With a grunt, the stubborn arrancar yanked his right foot free from the ice and stomped down hard. He was rewarded with some of the ice around him shattering, and his other leg was freed. Taking a large leap, Toshiro went straight towards the outside of the circle, confident that he had escaped harm.

What he didn't know was that Some no Mai not only froze the ground, but went skyward as well.

There was a white flash in his vision, and Toshiro let out a cry of agony as the icy pillar reformed around his dragging right foot and crushed it. Worse yet, the frozen column continued it's ascent, taking Toshiro with it. The espada let out a silent curse as he realized that he was now quite vulnerable.

"Damn it all! Cero!" Putting both of his hands side by side, Toshiro pressed them against the ice. A white beam emerged from his hands and shattered the pillar, and the white-haired arrancar went back to the ground. He winced as he landed on his right, and he immediately shifted his weight more to the left to compensate.

When Toshiro stood up fully, he noticed that Rukia was in front of him, about five feet away. Though her weapon was still drawn and out to the side, she had made no movements against him.

"Very careless, shinigami" he said, twirling both of his blades once before pointing his left one at her "you should have finished me off when I was helpless. Your compassion will prove to be your undoing".

Rukia snorted and brushed aside some hair out of her face. "Compassion? You have it all wrong. If you were a hollow, I would have no problem in dispatching of you quickly. In fact, it was probably the smarter decision at this time. But..."

Toshiro's eyebrow went up "But..?"

"But you challenged me to a fight, not an extermination" she stated "and I want my fights to end on even terms with both of us on our feet, not with one of us strung up in the air like a carcass".

There was a respectful silence between the two, and Toshiro chuckled.

"If that's how you want it, then that's what you'll get" he responded, as he shifted back into his battle stance "Come, shinigami".

Another form suddenly materialized in front of Rukia, who was quickly identified as Ikkaku.

"Sorry. Not gonna happen" the bald man said.

"Captain Madarame? What is wrong?" Rukia questioned. Ikkaku looked at the small woman over his shoulder.

"Big problems, that's what's wrong" he answered "A stealth member just gave me a report. The Red Hollow Gate's been sacked"

Rukia's face paled. "What?!"

Ikkaku's expression was grim. "Huge force came from nowhere. It numbers match this one, only it's nothing but arrancar. The gate never stood a chance. We're sending reinforcements to stop their advance as best as we can".

"And the other captains?!" the raven-haired lieutenant demanded exasperatedly.

"They're on the move. But I don't think it's gonna be fast enough. From the reports, it seems like a good amount of the new enemy's forces are directed for the Academy. That an- Hey, where're ya going!?"

Rukia wasn't even listening. With all of the speed she could muster, the lieutenant raced for the Academy, cursing all the while.

"Damn it all! Ichigo was right!" she growled "Aizen has us by the neck, and our arms are too busy to fend them off! I must hurry!"

Rukia leapt atop some battered housing and continued her desperate flight, praying that she wasn't too late.

Ikkaku frowned. "Huh. Could have at least listened to me. Oh well" Turning around, Ikkaku looked Toshiro up and down to get a measure of his opponent. What he saw wasn't quite what he expected.

The white-haired espada's attention wasn't even on the bald captain. Instead, he was looking around him, at the departing Rukia. A glazed expression formed on Toshiro's face.

"Rukia Kuchiki..." he murmured.

* * *

"You, there! Stop!" the injured male shinigami soldier cried. Jumping off of the ground to his feet, he ran up as fast as his maimed body would permit and swung with all of his might at the arrancar in front of him. The very arrancar that he had just witnessed tear through an entire group of men, and slaughtering every one of his friends. With all of the strength in his soul, he smashed his blade straight onto his adversary's back.

Unfortunately, that arrancar he was attacking just so happened to be Nnoitora, and the attack only caused the poor man's zanpakuto to snap directly in half. The lanky espada turned around, his expression annoyed.

"Eh? The hell was that?" he complained as he turned around "Oh. Just some shinigami bug" He lifted up his left hand and, with a flick of his index finger, knocked the terror-stricken soldier flying. The poor man hit a wall head-first and was killed instantly.

Nnoitora snickered. "What a waste. Of my energy, that is. What kind of pathetic defense is this?"

Ulquiorra walked past Nnoitora, glancing at him momentarily. "It is a defense that Aizen-sama predicted: weak, unstable, and undermanned. You will find no challenge here, Nnoitora"

The taller espada clicked his tongue "Izzat so? That the reason you let only me go and kill 'em all?"

"You had to be appeased in one way or another" Armando put in, as he walked over to join his father "Do not fret, Nnoitora. You will get your fill of battle before this is over"

Nnoitora looked behind his shoulder, so that he was looking down at Arcelia and Orihime. Arcelia was currently gazing about at her surroundings, a bemused expression on her face.

"The similarities between this place and Las Noches are many" she observed "Aside from a key difference".

Orihime tilted her head. "What's that, Arcelia-chan?" she asked.

Arcelia smiled. "The sky is real. I did not get a chance to look at it earlier today, but now that I have, it's a wonderous sight. It is just something that you can tell is real just by looking at it".

"Humph. Buncha crappy clouds. So what?" Nnoitora butted in.

"To those without imagination, they matter little" the female espada answered.

While they conversed, Ulquiorra continued walking until he was at the front of the huge, organized arrancar force.

"I will divide the army into three groups of five-hundred" he began in his usual monotone. Suprisingly enough, all of the arrancar seemed to hear him "Five hundred shall accompany me and the rest of the espada to the Academy. Five hundred will head east while the rest head west. Remember, Aizen-sama's orders are that you spread disarray. That should be your primary focus"

Though they remained in their neat rows, Ulquiorra sensed the impatience building within the arrancar ranks. He was impressed, at least to a small degree, that they were able to obey this long. But at last, their time for waiting was over.

It was time to feed.

"Go now. Let nothing stop you" the Fourth Espada ordered, waving his hand towards Seireitei's inner structure. The ranks broke, and one thousand howling and excited arrancar flooded in through the South Hollow Gate. As ordered, they all split once they were in far enough, and they began their destruction as ordered. The enemy army spread like a plague, destroying anything foreign in their way.

Once the first thousand were gone, Ulquiorra turned on his heel and began walking slowly back to the group of officers.

"Come. The Academy awaits" he said solemnly, once more walking past his comrades. As he went past, Orihime followed close behind, followed by Nnoitora, Armando, and Arcelia taking up the rear. And following them were the final five hundred arrancar, who marched silently behind.

XXX

Three shinigami students were currently walking back towards the Academy's main doors. Actually, it was more like sneaking, as they were all well past their curfew. They were somewhat relieved by the lack of the usual patrol around their school, and were eager to take advantage of it by doing some late night drinking. But on their way back from their excursion, they had noticed the battle at the Black Ridge Gate. Wanting to have nothing to do with the horrifying scene, the students, filled with alcohol, sped back to the safety of their dorms.

"Oooh, I knew this was a stupid idea" one of them, a blonde bespectacled female, whined as she nervously looked around.

A male student with long brown hair tugged her ponytail. "Shhh! If you talk any louder, then we're going to get caught!"

"Can you both PLEASE be quiet?" said the student in front, a short but stocky male with short black hair.

The girl looked at the leader piteously. "But Jun, it's not my fault! Yohiko pulled my hair!"

"Yohiko, don't pull Mao's hair" Jun scolded as he went up the stairs.

"If she was silent, then I wouldn't have done it" Yohiko defended. Jun rolled his eyes and, by jumping a few steps, reached the main Academy doors. He crouched low and started digging in the gym-style bag that had been over his shoulder. After a few seconds, he produced a small box and several long pins. Meanwhile, his two comrades were still several steps below, arguing.

Mao glared dangerously at her taller classmate. "You shouldn't be touching a girl's hair anyway, you jerk!"

Yohiko cracked his knuckes "Who's a jerk, four-eyes?!" he growled.

The blonde slammed her heavy textbook spine-first in Yohiko's face. "I told you NEVER to call me that, dickweed!!" she hissed

Jun, who was in the middle of picking the academy's front door lock, swore as he dropped on of the picks due to Mao's outburst. Taking in a deep breath and counting slowly inside his head, he looked over his shoulder at both of his friends.

"Are you two trying to get us in trouble? Keep it down!" he said exasperatedly.

"It's not my fault! This alcoholic monkey keeps picking at me!" Mao complained.

Yohiko, who was currently supporting his bleeding nose, couldn't offer a defensive statement.

The dark-haired student frowned "Mao, you drink more than both of us. You shouldn't be calling him an alcoholic". He then turned back around and tried his best to continue his lockpicking.

"But he gets drunk faster!" she retorted, crossing her arms.

"Then he's a lightweight, not an alcoholic" Jun corrected through gritted teeth, trying to concentrate on his task.

There was suddenly a bright flash and the sound of an explosion. The trees that adorned the front of the Academy swayed, and were bathed in red light as a small gout of fire rose into the air.

Mao let out a small scream. "W-what was that?!"

Yohiko, finally free from his nosebleed, combed his clean hand through his long locks. "Judging from it's color and the signature of the spiritual energy, that had to be Shakkaho, Destructive Art 31".

Jun's expression was skeptical as he once more looked over his shoulder. "A destructive art? Are you sure?"

"I'm never wrong when it comes to kido" was the confident reply.

"Do you think the battle has spread out over here?!" Mao said in a nervous voice.

Jun shook his head. "I doubt that much. There were rumors that a couple of captains were amongst those at the gate, so it isn't likely that a full on breach occured. If anything, there might have been a lucky few that got through the defenses, and were finished off just now".

"Let's just hope you're right" Yohiko said, wiping his forehead.

He suddenly jumped as there was another explosion, and the three students suddenly heard the sound of running footsteps. A few seconds later, a normal female shinigami soldier was running vigorously towards them.

"Shit! We're caught!" Yohiko hissed, as he tried in vain to look for an escape route.

Mao started wailing. "We're gonna be expelled! I don't wanna go back to Rukon! I won't I-!!"

"Guys, something's not right" Jun said, stepping away from the lock and joining his friends "Look at her face. Tell me what you see"

When his fellow students heeded Jun's directions, they noticed that the woman wasn't wearing an expression of anger. It was full-fledged fear. Beads of sweat ran down the woman's face, and upon closer inspection, some of it was also covered in fresh blood.

The woman almost ran over the students as she attempted to go up the stairs, and it was apparent that she hadn't seen them until now. Upon noticing them, she came to a stop.

"W-what? Students?" she panted, now partly hunched over "You must leave! It isn't safe!"

Mao's face was filled with concern "What's the matter, ma'am? Why are you bleeding?"

"It is not my blood" the shinigami explained "But that is not the point! You children are in grave danger! You must wake the rest of the students! Get everyone out of here!"

Jun went in front of the woman and kneeled down so that they were face to face.

"What exactly is going on? Why are you asking this of us?" he inquired softly.

"J-Jun! Look!" Yohiko suddenly shouted. Judging by the fear in his friend's voice, the second year student could tell that the sight he saw wasn't pretty. And when Jun stood up, his face paled at the spectacle before him.

Hundreds of arrancar were now standing in neat rows in front of the entire academy. Standing at the front of the intimidating force were five more people, two female and three male.

"Oh my god" Mao squealed, covering her mouth with both hands.

A dull sound suddenly filled the student's and shinigami's ears, and one of the figures, an extremely tall and thin arrancar, was in front of them.

Nnoitora clicked his tongue in obvious disgust. "Crap. I thought for a moment that you little bastards were important" he sneered "But judging by your weak-ass spiritual energy, none o' ya are even fit to wipe my ass with".

All four people in front of him froze from the intense reiatsu that was pouring out of the espada. Somehow, the woman soldier shook herself out of it and drew her zanpakuto.

"G-get away, arrancar!" she demanded, jumping in front of the students "These children have nothing to do with you!". Nnoitora leered at her.

"Piss off, woman" he snapped. And before the shinigami could react, he whipped out his left hand and backhanded her across the face. The woman hit the ground hard in a burst of dust, and lay very still.

"Huh. Guess I put a little too much 'oomph' inta that one" he said indifferently. .

The three students eyes widened in fear, their attention on the unmoving body of the female shinigami on her side. A small puddle of blood had started pooling from her head.

"Unreal...he just brushed her aside like nothing" Yohiko said in awe.

Mao's face was shining with tears as she looked over at Jun. "What are we going to do, Jun? We're gonna die if we don't get away!"

Her classmate's face was dark. "How can we get away? He's too fast and too powerful. And I'm sure that he gets a good amount of reach with that weapon on his back".

Nnoitora shifted his attention from his latest victim to the dark-haired student. "Eh? Pretty impressive, boy. Even as scared shitless as you are, ya still manage to think clearly. Maybe I can start cleaning off Santa Teresa's rust with your blood!" This, of course, was a bluff. The mere idea of some weakling student dirtying his blade was enough to churn the fifth espada's stomach.

There was another dull rush of air, and Ulquiorra was standing alongside Nnoitora.

"That is enough, Nnoitora" he stated, fixing Nnoitora with a side-eyed stare "You remember what I told you before we left Las Noches. That, and that alone, is your duty"

The taller arrancar snickered. "Cool down, Ulquiorra. I was just messing with the little bastards".

Ulquiorra ignored his comrade's excuse, instead gesturing for Orihime to come forth. She was quick to be at her lover's side. Armando, likewise, went to join the Fourth Espada.

"What is it, Ulquiorra?" Orihime said, unconsiously clasping her hands together in front of herself.

The stoic arrancar turned fully towards Orihime. "These students will prove useful in our task. You can try to reason with them"

Orihime nodded, then turned to the petrified students.

"Alright, you guys. I know this is a bit confusing" she started, taking a step towards them "But there's something that you-EEP!!" Finally able to fight off the insurmountable fear that had overtaken him, Jun had taken his zanpakuto from the bag on his back. When Orihime had taken that one step, the student had closed the distance between them and swung upwards from his left.

Had there been no other people present, the southpaw student's strike would have been dead on. But such wasn't the case. Before the first syllable of Orihime's cry had left her mouth, Ulquiorra was between her and Jun. As Jun's zanpakuto went upwards, the fourth espada lifted up his bare hand from his pocket and stopped it. Numerous cracks appeared along half the blade, and a few seconds later, half of the zanpakuto crumbled onto the ground.

"Don't do that" Ulquiorra advised calmly, fixing the horrified student with a glare.

Jun, for his part, could only let out a small choking sound.

The melancholy espada turned to Nnoitora. "It is time" he said. Nnoitora snorted, but reached over his shoulder and lifted his gargantuan weapon off of his back.

"Arcelia. Come" Armando ordered. Arcelia, who had not moved from the front of the arrancar battalion, walked over to join the officers.

The female espada looked at Ulquiorra. "Are you quite sure about this, Ulquiorra-sempai?" she inquired.

Ulquiorra fixed her with his blank stare. "Just do as you are ordered, Octava Espada" he said curtly.

The answer was enough for Arcelia, who looked up at Nnoitora. "Let us get to work then, Nnoitora-san" she said.

"Ladies first" the lanky espada taunted.

Taking his remark as a sign of admission, Arcelia whipped herself around, her hand faced forward. Nnoitora likewise pivoted about, tongue sliding out.

"Cero!!" they both shouted. Nnoitora's wide, red blast converged with Arcelia's black beam, and tore directly through the center of the arrancar line. The soldiers, too shocked at the unexpected move, didn't even begin to counterattack as the two espada simultaneously materialized at the front of the group with their gigantic weapons drawn. With a shout, both warriors swung their weapons from the side, crushing a huge column of arrancar between their zanpakuto like a pair of pincers. Blood flew into the air along with the agonized screams of the soldiers.

The three students, for their part, were dumbfounded at the unexpected turn of events.

"...Eh?..." Yohiko sputtered.

"I...but...huh?" Mao said, completely at a loss for words.

"..." Jun couldn't muster up any response, so busy was he looking at his now shattered zanpakuto.

Ulquiorra, in the meantime, used sonido to get to the Academy doors. He gazed down at the lock that still had numerous picks sticking from it and huffed impatiently. Instead of using his hands, the fourth espada planted his foot against the doors and knocked both of them flying inwards off of the hinges.

Orihime placed her hands on Mao's shoulders. "We need to hurry. I don't know this place that well, and we need you three to guide us"

"G-guide us? What for?" Mao asked.

Orihime flashed the student a friendly smile. "We need to hurry if we're going to evacuate all of the students" she answered.

While Mao tried to answer, a screaming body flew over the two females and hit the steps. An arrancar, bloody and beaten, twisted in agony on the stairway. He rolled over and attempted to crawl away, but Arcelia ended all hope of that happening. In a blur, she was at the arrancar's side and she shoved her zanpakuto through the unfortunate thing's body. While the arrancar screamed and writhed, Arcelia kicked him in his backside. He flew forward and the blade cut his lower body directly in half.

The female espada looked over at Orihime and grinned. "Should you not be in the Academy already? We have limited time, Orihime-dono".

"I know, Arcelia. We were just about to go" the auburn-haired girl replied. When she looked at Mao, the blonde could only nod.

Yohiko wasn't about to give in so easily. "Wait, time out Mao! How can we trust them? They're arrancar! Our enemies for the past five years!"

"We can trust this one" Jun said, speaking for the first time since his attempt to attack Orihime.

"What? How can you say that?!" Yohiko exclaimed.

Jun looked at Orihime. "She's human. I doubt that normal arrancar allow humans to accompany them. It's suspicious, but we have little choice but to help them".

Orihime smiled. "Thank you. Now come on! Let's get going!" And without another word, she grabbed Mao by the wrist and ran to catch up with Ulquiorra.

Jun spat off to the side, before glaring at Yohiko. "Going out tonight was YOUR idea" he said with an agitated tone.

XXX

Meanwhile, a scene of carnage now covered the East Blue Stream Gate. Bodies of volunteer watchmen lay everywhere on the inside of the gate. Blood pooled on the ground or was splayed across the walls, standing out eerily on the white walls and darkening the ground.

The gate was now open, and around one-hundred arrancar were now rushing though it.

The main problem, however, didn't lay in the invaders number. In fact, it had nothing to do with them at all.

The main problem was that the gate had been opened from the inside.

* * *

A/N: The three students ARE NOT the OCs mentioned for this story. They are minor characters that needed names to make the writing flow smoother. It's not like it's unheard of to name minor characters, right?

So, good? Bad? Horrid? Spectacular? Let me know, k?

Please R&R

-GinIchimaru321


	8. Chapter 7: Resonance

Hey guys,

Well, I could tell you guys that I've been busy. I could tell you guys that stuff's been going on in the family. I could tell you guys that I've been so piled up with school stuff that I haven't had time. And I could tell you all about the insidious Writer's Block that had plagued me. But although it would all be true, it doesn't change the fact that they're excuses. So I apologize for the long wait. I promise that the next one will come sooner and be more juicier. I hope all of you had great holidays :)

To those who do not like plot development or character growth and whatnot, you may not like this chapter. But I felt that it was a necessary one to get down. And don't worry, it's not completely devoid of swordplay :) Also, I believe that my rating is fine, but if any of you think that it should be raised(if possible) due to the language, then please tell me.

Enjoy doods!!!

**Chapter 7: Resonance**

The halls of Aizen's palace were mostly empty at the moment. With the absence of so many espada and soldiers, most of the weaker arrancar and low-ranked soldiers that usually skulked about the hallways were absent, making the great palace practically silent.

Aside from the sound of somebody whistling. It was an eerie tune, like the howl of wind going through a coastline cave. The sound echoed throughout the empty hallways, carrying surprisingly far into the inner workings of the grand structure. Around one of the many corners, the source of the whistling himself walked with a spring in his step, still carrying his tune on his lips. From his silver hair and his disarming smile, it was obviously none other than former third captain Gin Ichimaru.

An unusual figure was the fox-faced man in Las Noches. After all, he was in the kingdom and stronghold for possibly the most wicked man in all of the world's history, Sosuke Aizen. A place where creatures slunk around every corner and evil was a staple for survival. A dank and dull dwelling for the army that was responsible for spreading terror and turmoil throughout Soul Society. A place of loneliness and foreboding.

And there was never a moment when the silver-haired ex-captain wasn't smiling.

It struck most underlings who hadn't known the man for that long as strange that their great and powerful Aizen would allow such a man into his inner circle. An inner circle that contained borderline psychos and sadists such as Grimmjow and Nnoitora. An inner circle that held one of the most feared espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer. So it wasn't unlike very single arrancar underling that had ever caught a glimpse of Gin Ichimaru meandering about Las Noches' huge hallways to take the fox-faced man's perpetual smile as a sign of weakness.

A common, and quite deadly, mistake.

For beneath that ceaseless grin, that mask of amusement, was a mind of unpredictable emotion. It was Gin's greatest strength; for no matter how long one could spend time with the man, if they could stand it, no-one could ever really guess what he was thinking about. And nobody could ever tell when his smile was genuine. This of course, was what made people so uncomfortable around Gin, and it was a fact that the silver-haired fellow took a slight degree of pride in. The less meaningless people probing at him, the better.

Several minutes went by as Gin seemingly wandered aimlessly throughout Las Noches. But after a while, it was obvious that Gin's movements were indeed premeditated as he came upon a certain hallway with a grand rug leading towards a pair of double doors not unlike the ones in the throne room. The hallway was decorated with lanterns, giving it more of a welcome appearance than the rest of the castle.

Silently moving along the carpet, Gin continued to whistle his 'cheery' tune. As he came up to the double doors, they opened silently as if in welcome. The silver-haired man didn't slow as he slid easily into the small opening.

He was now on a balcony, which revealed the endless dunes of Hueco Mundo. A large full moon hung in sky amidst clusters of twinkling stars. The sands were still and unmoving, not a single gust of wind in the entire landscape. It was almost like a portrait of some sort, and the sight of the streaking stars in the sky relaxed Gin.

A small throne was set so that it was facing the desert. Gin chuckled in amusement, knowing that wherever a throne was randomly placed in the palace, Aizen was sure to be seated in it. Whether or not this was out of laziness or enjoyment of the seat's comfort, the former third captain had no clue.

Gin's smile then widened as he caught the sound of movement behind him.

"It ain' nice to hide when someone comes to visit, Tousen-chan" he remarked cheerfully to seemingly nobody "An' with a weapon, migh' I add?"

From the shadows behind the doors, Tousen stepped forth, at the same time sheathing his zanpakuto. An annoyed expression made it's way to his face.

"You speak of rudeness, Gin?" the dark-skinned man began, surveying his comrade with his blind gaze "What about dropping in on Aizen-sama's balcony without so much as a warning?".

"Tha's different" Gin replied, walking alongside the throne. He looked over his shoulder and flashed a sinister grin at Tousen "Got as much righ' to see 'im as you do. We're all partners, ain' we?". And though the former ninth captain could not see, he shuddered as he felt the silver-haired man's deceitful smile aimed at him.

Satisfied, Gin looked down at the throne. "How ya doin', Cap'n Aizen?" he greeted.

Aizen, currently sipping from a cup of tea, did not answer right away. As he set the fragile cup on it's saucer, he acknowledged his former liutenant with one of his own smiles.

"Gin. This is certainly unexpected" Aizen answered, feigning his surprise "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

The silver-haired man, quite uncharacteristically, didn't allow the ruse to go on further than that "I wanna talk to ya, if ya don' mind"

"Certainly. Why would I deny you that?" the Overlord of Hueco Mundo answered, resting his chin on his hand.

"Alone" Gin added bluntly.

Tousen stiffened at the obvious request, and even Aizen raised an eyebrow. "Certainly whatever you have to say to me, you can say in the presence of Kaname as well, Gin. Should your words not be heard by all of us?"

" 'S a matter o' fact, they can't an' won't" was the unusually stiff reply from the former third-captain. Tousen angrily unsheathed his zanpakuto.

"You dare speak to Aizen-sama that way?!" he barked, taking a step towards Gin.

His master's voice stopped him in his tracks. "Very well. Kaname, leave us" Aizen softly ordered. Tousen also heard the dismissive wave of Aizen's hand, further offending him.

"B-but Aizen-sama!" the dark-skinned man began to protest.

"Kaname" came Aizen's voice again, this time firm and commanding "Leave us".

"...Yes, Aizen-sama. As you wish" Tousen muttered, obviously insulted. With a huff, Tousen turned to leave the room, shooting a dirty look at Gin as he silently closed the double doors behind him. The sounds of his hurried and agitated footsteps were gone in seconds.

The brown-haired man took another sip of tea from his cup. "Was it that necessary to have me remove him?" he questioned.

Gin's smile darkened. "Ya'll know as well as I do tha' he's jus' a convenience. My words are for yo' ears only, Cap'n".

"But did you not say that we were partners earlier?"

"Partners only come in pairs" Gin swiftly replied.

Aizen chuckled. "Fair enough, my former lieutenant. Have a seat, won't you?" The king of hollows gestured in front of him, and when Gin looked, there was now a similar throne across from Aizen's, and an arrancar maid was now setting a small wooden table between them.

"Don' mind if I do" Gin smiled, gliding over to the chair and sitting down. Despite it's stony appearance, the throne was actually quite comfortable. ' _'S no wonder the Cap'n has 'em all over the place' _Gin thought privately.

As the same maid set down a beatiful silver tray and tea set between them, Gin looked back at his master. "European sterlin' silver, eh? Ya Got exquisite taste, Cap'n" he remarked.

Aizen smiled "A king must have things worthy of a king, Gin. I think that this set is much nicer than the old one, don't you?".

Gin's head bobbed up and down "Are those lil' birds styled into the sides?" the silver-haired shinigami asked conversationally.

A grin made it's way on Aizen's face. "Indeed they are. Have a cup, why don't you?".

Before the former captain could either reject or accept the offer, the maid was already handing him a silver cup and saucer. Aizen quietly thanked her and dismissed her with a wave, to which the maid bowed and hurried off. There was a few minutes of silence as Gin first blew on the tea, then tentatively sipped from it.

"Oolong?" he questioned, sloshing some of the liquid in his mouth before swallowing.

"Black" Aizen answered quietly, his eyes closed as he took another sip.

"Right right, I knew that..." Gin said, as he drank some more. A few more seconds of silence went by, with only the sound being the sipping of tea.

It was Aizen this time who broke the silence. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Gin? Surely it is of importance if you wanted to have Kaname removed"

Gin's smile crept back onto his face "You've been avoidin' me lately, Cap'n" he said in a straightforward manner.

"Oh? I don't seem to recall doing so" came the predictable dodge from Aizen.

"Ever since ya'll started sendin' Armando on yer secret missions and when ya created Snowball as one o' yer new arrancar, I've been tryin' to ask ya some questions" Gin said, putting one leg over the other as he took another sip of tea. "I can understand not tellin' Tousen-chan anythin', but I've been yer right-hand since the very beginnin' ".

Aizen nodded slowly. "True enough, Gin".

The fox-faced man didn't relent. "The least ya'll could do is fill me in with the basics, if yer not willin' to give me the full scoop yet. Don' take kindly to bein' left in the dark, y'know".

Aizen's eyes closed again as he brought his lips to the rim of his teacup and took a long, drawn-out drink. Once his cup was empty, the brown-haired king's eyes opened halfway as he surveyed his underling.

"Very well, Gin. What do you want to know?" he questioned.

Gin smirked, giving himself a mental props for having finally gotten his way. "Let's start with Snowball, shall we?"

Silence. Then, after a moment Aizen slowly said "What about Toshiro?"

"Is it really him? Or were ya jus' feelin' a bit creative with the Hogyoku?" As he mentioned the artifact, Gin's attention briefly went to Aizen's left hand, which was partly blackened. It was a scar that Aizen had received around the time Toshiro had been 'born', a sign of the Hogyoku's overuse when it's violent energies had lashed out at the tyrant king.

Aizen chuckled, paying Gin's stare no heed. "I suppose I can answer that question" he said nonchalantly.

"Soun's good. So what is it?" the fox-faced man inquired.

"The answer is yes" Aizen answered "Yes...and no".

A small frown formed on Gin's face as impatience began to form "It can't be two things, Cap'n. Which is it?".

The brown-haired man took a moment to smooth back his hair, further slicking it back. As he leaned forward and started to leisurely refill his teacup, he began to speak again.

"It is a bit difficult to explain" he started, as a small column of steam rose from the cup and from the teapot's spout "As you know, when a shinigami dies, their body eventually disappears into countless soul particles. The shinigami is then reborn into the human world, with no recollection of his past life. When a human dies, unless they go to hell or become a hollow, their soul is sent to Soul Society, also deprived of past happenings aside from a few bits and pieces. But those are, in most cases, meaningless. It is a cycle that has been in motion for countless years, for as long as sentient life has been about".

Gin nodded. "Tha's what we're taught in the Academy" Out of amusement, Gin also added "Straigh' outta the textbook, jus' like any other cap'n"

Aizen didn't respond to the remark. "After I had killed Tenth Division Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya, I had already contemplated using him to achieve my own ends one way or another. But of course, bringing anybody back from the dead is preposterous. Even a shinigami". Aizen lifted the teacup to his mouth and drank some of the tea that he had just poured in it, forcing Gin to wait.

"But there are alternatives" Aizen added when he finished his sip, fixing Gin with an analytical stare.

Gin returned the stare with a smirk. "Alternatives such as?" he asked.

The brown-haired despot smiled genuinely, impressed by his subordinate's determination. "Having a zanpakuto isn't as common as we might perceive. Not everyone has the power or soul to manifest such a thing. But if they do have one, then it can function as, in layman's terms, a fingerprint of sorts. A legacy, we'll say".

Gin raised an eyebrow. "Don' quite follow ya, cap'n".

"The zanpakuto, unlike it's master, does not disappear upon the shinigami's death. In most cases, especially with captains, the zanpakuto is confiscated by Seireitei and hidden away. And the spirit within is left to slumber. It is also fact that every single zanpakuto that has ever been manifested under the control of Seireitei has been recorded, along with it's master".

Deciding that the facts were getting a bit deep, Gin helped himself to some more of the tea.

Aizen, meanwhile, continued. "My plan was simple. Using an inside agent, I had Hyorinmaru delivered to me. Once it was in my possession, I sealed myself away and I personally spoke with it".

Gin gulped an extra amount of tea, causing him to utter a small cough. "Ya spoke with Snowball's sword? I thought that was almost impossible to converse with another's zanpakuto?"

"I am the most powerful being in existence, and I knew it's name. What else did I need?" Aizen said confidently.

Momentarily put-off by the direct claim of superiority, Gin quickly recovered with his trademark smile and replied "Poin' well documented".

"Of course, Hyorinmaru wasn't always cooperative" Aizen went on "But speaking with it gave me a realization. That the zanpakuto indeed had the capabilities of having a memory. Memories that included it's former master"

The truth suddenly began to dawn on the silver-haired shinigami. "Ya mean....?"

The king of Las Noches smiled. "I see that you're starting to catch on. Using the hogyoku, I extracted bits and pieces of Hyorinmaru's memories of Captain Hitsugaya. I had everything that I could possibly need to make myself a replica of the Captain Prodigy. Everything down to the last tidbit of his habits and his behaviors".

"So that's what ya'll meant by 'yes an' no'. So he's just a reflection? " Gin reasoned.

Aizen nodded. "There were side-effects, of course. Even with the hogyoku's power, creating such a specific arrancar and from such a taboo source required great exertion on my part" Aizen lifted his left hand as he said the last part of his sentence as if offering a visual aid. "And Toshiro also suffers from a minor split personality. At times he is reserved and cool-headed just like the real Hitsugaya was. But in most battles, he suffers from confusion and an unconscious inner turmoil, resulting in his sometimes crazed outbursts in fights".

"So the reason he goes crazy is cause of him not knowin' who he is or somethin'?" Gin pondered.

"No no no, Gin. Nothing so cliché as that" Aizen chuckled deeply "Toshiro knows that he is an arrancar. That small bit of rage is simply part of the side-effects from the hogyoku. As I said, he suffers from split personality".

Gin digested the information for a moment, not fully convinced. A sudden thought passed through his mind.

"Don' ya think that sendin' him inta battle agains' people who knew Snowball is a bit risky? Won' that drive him nuts with everyone callin' him somethin' else?"

"The psychological warfare in sending him against Seireitei is in our favor, not theirs" Aizen replied confidently, smoothing back his hair "if he fights with people who were close to him in his past life, they may be hesitant to resist him".

Gin frowned. "Ya can't be tellin' me that the only reason ya made him was fer that".

For the umpteenth time in their talk, Aizen chuckled. "You read me like a book, Gin".

" 'S what I do best, Cap'n" Gin replied.

"There is one other reason to me choosing Toshiro Hitsugaya personally" the despot conceded "The most important agent that I possess wishes to see him".

Gin raised his eyebrow again "One of yer moles?".

Aizen smiled. "Yes, Gin. And that person will continue doing what I say as long as I have Toshiro 'alive' ".

Gin's smile widened. "Yer a wicked man, Cap'n Aizen"

Aizen took the compliment in stride. "And I know what you are going to ask, Gin. I am afraid that I cannot reveal who it is"

The silver-haired man's expression clearly showed his disappointment. "Aww, why not Cap'n?" he whined.

"In time, Gin" his master answered, sealing off the subject. "Is there anything else?".

Deciding that he would accept his defeat for now, Gin decided to get a question that had been bothering him for a while off of his chest.

"Why did ya choose to alter Ulquiorra's kid's age? Couldn' that 'ave been avoided?" he questioned "I mean, he should still be a kid, after all. Ain' very nice to deny yer prisoner her child".

It was Aizen's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Why would it matter to you? As far as I know, you and Ulquiorra are not on the friendliest of terms".

"It's jus' a question, Cap'n" Gin defended.

The brown-haired king placed his elbow on the arm of his throne, resting his head on his hand.

"Do you really want to know why, Gin?" he asked softly.

"If it's not too much trouble" was the reply.

Aizen's answer chilled Gin to the bone, as the brown-haired man flashed his own devious grin.

"Because I can" Aizen said, his brown eyes flashing fiercely in the dim moonlight.

XXX

About an hour or so later, Gin was once more roaming about the hallways. It was with more than a little relief that the fox-faced shinigami felt getting out of that chamber with Aizen. Other than the information that he had managed to coax out of his master early in their conversation, the rest of the visit had been merely small talk and very uncomfortable silence. There was nothing that Gin hated more than sitting across from Aizen and not a thing was being said to take his mind off of his leader's pompous demeanor. Former Third Captain Gin Ichimaru detested being made to feel inferior.

Now once more free to traipse inside of the castle that he had come to know so well, Gin began to make his way to the eastern side of the castle. At least he could ease some of his disappointment by torturing a few of the arrancar underlings.

As he turned a corner, the silver-haired man almost bumped into another person.

"Oh my!" Gin gasped overdramatically, obviously not surprised at all "Sorry about that"

The person, a female arrancar with messy black hair, glared at the much taller man. "Just watch where you're go- Ichimaru?"

Mischieviousness worked it's way into Gin's smile. "Well if it ain' Tatsuki-chan"

If someone from Tatsuki Arisawa's past were too look at her now, there wouldn't be much difference in her appearance. She still wore the same surly expression and was still as strong and fit as a horse. But the toughened female wasn't without changes. Her skin was now paler, and had an unnatural sheen to it. She was dressed in the typical arancar uniform, only hers was devoid of sleeves, revealing her toned arms. Her black karate obi was wrapped on the outside of her uniform, a momento of her past, and current, martial arts prowess.

Tatsuki scratched at the bony spiked collar around her neck as she surveyed Gin. "Do you happen to know where Orihime is?" she demanded.

"I don't think I like your tone, Arisawa" Gin answered coldy.

Tatsuki was taken aback by the sudden change of tone. "What?".

"Ya'll seem to have forgotten who yer talkin' to. I ain' jus' some run-of-the-mill sap you can push about. Address me with some respect"

Unable to respond the the remark initially, Tatsuki finally narrowed her eyes and replied "My apologies, Ichimaru-sama".

"Whoa! Ya thought I was serious?" Gin suddenly laughed, again putting the dark-haired woman off balance "I'm jus' yankin' yer chain. Call me what ya want. We're pals, after all, right?".

"... ..."

Gin just laughed again before clasping his hands before himself. "If yer lookin' fer Orihime-chan, 'fraid she ain't in Las Noches right now".

Tatsuki frowned. "Where has she gone?" she asked cautiously.

The sly ex-captain feigned thought. "Let me see....Oh! Now I remember! She's with Ulquiorra on some mission, if I recall".

Tatsuki's expression darkened at the mention of the Cuatra Espada, but she pushed it aside. "A mission? Where?" she pressed.

" 'Fraid I can't say" Gin answered cheerily, deflating the surly woman "But if ya wanna know, I'm sure ya'll can ask Cap'n Aizen".

Tatsuki didn't reply, well aware that Gin's suggestion wasn't even an option.

Another laugh from the silver-haired man "Aww, don' make a face like that, Arisawa-chan. At leas' ya'll can take solace in the fact that Ulquiorra can watch 'er fer ya, right?".

Hearing Ulquiorra's name brought up again caused Tatsuki to growl. "That's not exactly something I would feel comfortable about. He's the scum that took her from her home in the first place, if you recall".

"But I'm sure that ain' the only reason ya can' stand 'im, is it?" Gin insightfully remarked.

Tatsuki had no answer to give.

Deciding that he was done stirring up trouble, Gin turned on his heel and began to walk away, whistling once again. The sound temporarily distracted the grumpy arrancar from her musings.

"That tune...I've heard it before" Tatsuki murmured, thinking Gin out of earshot. "What was it called?..."

"Oh! Ya heard it before too?" Gin called over his shoulder, making Tatsuki jump. "Nice lil tune, ain' it? Heard it while I was in the human world a while back"

"What were you doing in the human world?" Tatsuki asked, eyebrow raised.

Gin pretended not to hear. "It's called _Hyouri_, by some fella named Kōji Yusa if mem'ry serves me right". As the fox-faced man began to round a corner and disappear from sight, he gave a wave over his shoulder. "If ya ever wanna chat again, Tatsuki-chan, I'm always around. Goodness knows how lonely I get 'round here. Until next time". A flap of the his cloak, and Gin was gone from sight.

Tatsuki, on the other hand, remained in the same spot, Gin's last instigating remarks playing in her mind.

It was true. She detested Ulquiorra Schiffer. A deep hatred unlike anything that the woman had ever felt was reserved for that very arrancar. Tatsuki hated even looking at the man, with his supercilious green-eyed stare and his deep and morose voice. He was the very opposite Orihime, the girl whom he now called his wife. The girl that Tatsuki was so protective of.

And that was the reason why she hated him the most. He took away the girl whom Tatsuki promised to watch over and defend. Sure, Orihime wasn't a defenseless child anymore, but that didn't matter to the raven-haired arrancar. Ulquiorra had pretty much stepped into their lives and claimed Orihime as his own. He had disrupted an otherwise happy existence and warped it, forcing Orihime to live in the dreary Las Noches and causing Tatsuki to literally sell her soul to just be in the same building. It was something that even without Gin's poisonous statement would never be forgiven by Tatsuki.

These facts further fueled the guilty pleasure that Tatsuki felt whenever she had the opportunity to train Armando in the martial arts. Though she knew full well that the young arrancar had no fault in her predicament, it still gave Tatsuki a small bit of satisfaction that she was at least hitting something of Ulquiorra. But she had to admit, Armando learned quickly and took punishment easily. Had he not given some sort of cue that he was alive, Tatsuki would have been sure that she had been attacking a corpse the entire time.

Running a hand through her hair, Tatsuki let out a long sigh.

"Hurry back, Orihime. Please be safe..." she whispered to nobody inparticular. No one answered.

..........................................................

Arrancar have many useful things about them. For one, they are very powerful, even the weaker ones. They are much more intelligent than hollows, and also more durable. Mix that with the fact that they possess zanpakuto and can be quick to learn basic fighting skills and military formations, and arrancar sound almost like the perfect soldier. They fight for a singular purpose, and they don't stop fighting until they, or their opponent, are dead.

But even those wonderful advantages were meaningless when an average arrancar is matched up against an espada.

It had been a few minutes since Ulquiorra had led his small group into the Academy, but Nnoitora was already bored. Long ago dismissing the thought of using his zanpakuto Santa Teresa, the towering espada toyed with his latest victim, an beaten arrancar soldier that had already been beaten senseless by the much stronger Nnoitora. Every swing from the beaten thing's sword glanced harmlessly off of the Fifth Espada's mighty iron skin, and Nnoitora easily knocked him aside again and again.

Now getting off of the ground for the fifth time, the arrancar attempted to create some distance between himself and Nnoitora. a quick burst of sonido and the demoralized spirit was nearly twenty yards from his opponent. His mouth opened, revealing a dull red glow that was the hints of a forming cero.

But it was far too slow for Nnoitora. The distracted arrancar failed to notice that the lanky espada wasn't even in front of him anymore when he started his cero. But he did notice ten spindly but incredibly strong fingers clamp around his neck and lift him into the air. A jerk to the left, then swiftly to the right, and then...

SNAP!

"Huh. Takes care of the last one" Nnoitora commented dully, tossing the body away "How lame. Five-freaking-hundred of 'em, and not a scratch. Damn Ulquiorra" He saw down atop a pile of bodies, grumbling all the while.

Nearby, Arcelia was busy wiping the blood of her opponents off of her impressive greatsword on the uniform of a dead arrancar. She lifted it in front of herself and, after examining both sides, sheathed it across her back.

"The point of the mission wasn't to be amused, Nnoitora-san" she gently reminded her comrade. "Our duty was to prevent any and all intruders from interfering with the removal of the students in this academy".

Nnoitora's eyes narrowed dangerously at the tough-looking female "I know what the damned mission was, bitch. I don't need a woman telling me what I have to do!".

If Arcelia was bothered at all by Nnoitora harsh lashing out, she didn't show it. "You are correct. I apologize, Nnoitora-san".

Nnoitora spat off to the side and mumbled something having to do with 'wenches' under his breath, but offered no other response to Arcelia's apology.

Not even seconds later, Arcelia spoke again. "Why is it that you offered to help Ulquiorra-sempai, Nnoitora-san?" she asked, her pale-eyed gaze on her higher-ranked comrade.

"Because I knew that it would annoy Aizen if I did" was the curt reply from Nnoitora. He glared at Arcelia and saw that she didn't looked fully satisfied with the answer. Scoffing, he looked away from her.

"I'm tired as hell with all of this crap that Aizen's doing" he went on, his voice bored "He's made us jump through all these damn hoops and dangled all these promises in front of us so that we could serve him. But frankly, he hasn't lived up to my expectations. A lot of the other espada probably feel the same, but none of 'em have the nads to stand up to Aizen. So we're stuck doing his dirty deeds while he sits up on his high horse feeling good about himself. I joined his ranks to fight, damn it, not sit around while possible opponents are running around outside".

Arcelia nodded. "I can understand that, Nnoitora-san".

"No, no you can't actually" he responded nastily, snapping his face back in her direction. "A woman can never understand what a man thinks. Women will NEVER be equal to us! Don't you ever even dare to consider yourself on even ground with me!".

The dark-haired woman gave no initial response, other than raise an eyebrow at the unexpected outburst. But soon she grinned at Nnoitora, which of course annoyed the skinny arrancar.

"If that is what you truly feel, Nnoitora-san" she conceded softly "then I have no right to question your beliefs".

"And that's another thing!" the lanky espada hissed, jumping to his feet and moving to tower over Arcelia with his full seven and a half foot height. "Ya call Ulquiorra 'Ulquiorra-sama' or 'Ulquiorra-sempai', but you refuse to give me any sign of respect! I could kill you for that!".

"I do address you with a title, Nnoitora-san" Arcelia replied calmly, obviously confused at Nnoitora's sudden mood swing. "And I call Ulquiorra sempai or sama because, aside from the fact that he is our current leader during this mission, I have a lot of respect for him".

Nnoitora's expression went from angry to amused. "Izzat so? Well, if ya have so little respect for me now..." Arcelia's hair fluttered slightly as Nnoitora used sonido to create a small gap between the two of them, at the same time taking his monstrous zanpakuto from his back and driving it's head to the ground on Arcelia's left.

"...Then perhaps I gotta beat some into ya" he sneered. When the female espada gave no reaction, Nnoitora continued "You may have been given the title of Eighth, _woman_, but I'm the Fifth Espada! Even your mentor Grimmjow is weaker than me!".

Nnoitora's jab at the Sixth Espada actually caused a momentary twinge of annoyance on Arcelia's usually impassive face. But to the fifth espada's astonishment, her smile reappeared once more.

"You are quick to look down on the Eighth position, Nnoitora-san. But from what I hear..."-she broke off with an uncharacteristicly mocking tone before continuing -"that is a rank that you should hold quite dear".

Nnoitora's shock at the daring of the smaller female increased further at her next stab at his pride.

"Is it not the very position you had when Neliel Tu Oderschvank was Tercera Espada?" she goaded coldly, her eyes blazing in challenge.

Arcelia's lightning reflexes saved her then. As Nnoitora's blade left her peripherals, the experienced fighter's right hand had already went behind her and unsheathed her zanpakuto. Quickly unsheathing it, Arcelia brought her weapon in front of her with both hands just as the lanky fifth espada's titanic weapon came down. The sound of metal impacting metal echoed through the night air, and a small shower of sparks flew from the point of the two weapon's impact.

"You little bitch!" Nnoitora hissed, his single eye bloodshot with rage "I'm gonna enjoy cutting you up into little pieces while you beg for mercy!".

"Words are dangerous, but talk is cheap Nnoitora-san" Arcelia responded, her calm demeanor replaced with a selfsure grin "If you plan on doing any of what you mention, start by actually attacking"

As she began to finish her statement, Arcelia suddenly gave up all resistance, and Nnoitora's own force pushed him forward. Down went Arcelia, rolling onto her back then off to Nnoitora's right before stopping into a crouch, her back towards her opponent. But it wasn't for long, as she used the momentum of her roll to power her first attack, a powerful upward slash from her greatsword that was aimed for Nnoitora's side.

Caught off guard at first, Nnoitora quickly regained his composure and sidestepped the attack, Arcelia's blade whirring by his elbow. Angry at being lured into such an attack, the lanky espada charged recklessly at his opponent, swinging down with Santa Teresa in an overhead strike.

Surprised that Nnoitora would use such a desperation move so early, Arcelia almost didn't think of a counterattack in time. But at the last second, Arcelia put her zanpakuto into her left hand, and, after putting it behind her parallel to the ground, lightly hop-stepped back out of reach of the weapon.

But merely escaping wasn't her plan.

As the weapon was about to make contact with the ground, Arcelia performed a daring move. She actually leapt into the air over the head of Santa Teresa, and landed on it's shaft right before a stunned Nnoitora. The woman warrior further stunned her opponent by driving her left knee right into his nose. She winced slightly, as Nnoitora's _hierro_ was much tougher than hers. But the force of the attack did what she needed. With the carelessness of his attack and slipshod way he had handled his weapon, Nnoitora was disarmed and sent stumbling backwards.

The bottom of the Octava Espada's boot smashing into his forehead threw the lanky arrancar flat on his back.

Propelling herself into the air using Nnoitora's face as the proverbial take-off platform, Arcelia tossed her weapon spinning into the air before gracefully following suit like an olympic diver jumping off a diving board. As she reached the highest point of her ascent, the sinewy female turned sideways in midair and seemed to almost hang at that spot. Arcelia's right hand shot out, and the signs of her unusual solid black cero began to appear at her fingertips.

Like a hunting eagle, Arcelia dived at Nnoitora, who was still gathering himself from the ground. Her right hand went in front of her, and she fired off a powerful burst of her cero, which actually pushed her back up another foot.

Then, as suddenly as she had started the cero, the seasoned Arcelia quickly ended it. Spinning a full five-forty in the air, Arcelia's hands both flew out to her right side. Her zanpakuto, which was just about to pass her in midair, was pointing at the ground and it's tip barely away from the end of the cero blast Arcelia had let off.

Arcelia's hands clasped around the exact same position that she had them in prior to lobbing the deadly weapon into the air. With a grunt, the female arrancar, using the power of her midair spin, brought her blade down onto the cero with great force.

Nnoitora, having already been hit with the initial blast of the cero, was pinned down and unable to move as he saw one of the few things in his life that actually sent a shiver down his spine.

Arcelia's blade coming down at him, cutting through the destructive, black cascade that was holding him down.

A large, powerful explosion rose from the spot of contact, and all in that air was momentarily still.

Stepping away from the small crater that had formed, Arcelia casually resheathed her zanpakuto. She took several more steps away before stopping and looking over her shoulder.

"I know that you are not dead, Nnoitora-san, nor are you even close to it" she called out "But in the event that you dare underestimate me again, you may not be as lucky next time". Of course, Arcelia doubted that her statement was as drastic as it sounded. She had heard that Nnoitora's _hierro_ was the strongest of the Espada, and if such was true, then her attack, which had no killing intent behind it, definitely shouldn't have done much lasting damage to the espada.

At least not physically, the toughened female thought with more than a little satisfaction. The mental scars that this would leave would be much more difficult to withstand.

Her claims turned out to be correct as, seconds later, a ruffled Nnoitora emerged from the rubble-cloud that was coming from the hole he was put in. A large, but shallow gash was burned into his torso, from his left shoulder to his right hip.

And as Arcelia had anticipated, his temper wasn't much better. "YOU LITTLE FUCKSTAIN!!" he bellowed, as he brandished Santa Teresa before him "You dare...you DARE strike me?! A woman of lower rank?! Marring my skin!?" Nnoitora's voice quivered with uncontrollable rage "I've changed my mind! I'm not gonna kill ya...no...I'm gonna destroy ya! I'll-".

"I'm afraid that we must continue this another time, Nnoitora-san" Arcelia interrupted.

"Why the fuck do you think that, you cunt?!" he sneered hatefully at the woman, who in turn smiled at him.

"We have a guest" she answered calmly. Arcelia gestured towards the gateway that the arrancar army used to enter the Academy grounds, and Nnoitora looked in that direction impatiently.

Rukia stood alone on the path, her zanpakuto drawn and reflecting in the moonlight.

XX

Ichigo suddenly sat bolt upright in his bed, suddenly torn him from his sleep. The captain looked about in the empty room, and it took him a moment to remember that tonight he was alone. Looking down, Ichigo realized just how exhausted he must have been, because he was still fully clad in his shinigami uniform, even his captain's haori.

"Son of a....Damn it, it took me so freaking long to get to sleep....Now I'm gonna have an even harder time...." As he started to grumble, a powerful spiritual signature cut into his subconscious.

"What?! What the hell is that?" he murmured to himself. Wiping his forehead, Ichigo suddenly realized that he was drenched in cold sweat.

"Something's not right....Have the arrancar come?" As he sat onto the side of his bed, a sudden realization hit him.

"Rukia!" Without wasting another moment, the orange-haired captain almost flew from his bed, grabbing Zangetsu by it's handle. He practically bullrushed though the door as he ran off in search of his wife, praying that he wasn't too late to help her.

.....................................................................................................................

**A/N:** I just want to make one thing clear: To those that might feel that Nnoitora was easily overpowered, that's not quite true. He was outmaneuvered, yes, and Arcelia did strike with what seemed to be a devastating blow. But the fact of the matter is, she got those hits in because Nnoitora greatly underrated her skills and because she is much quicker. Other than that, she did injure herself attacking his skin and her attack, despite it's power, had little damage on him. She even conceded to the fact that she lacked the power to kill him(albeit subtly). After all, she's only the 8th, and Nnoitora's not exactly a pushover :)

The only reason that I wanted to clear that up is because I would hate to see Arcelia depicted as a Mary Sue. I HATEHATEHATEHATEHATE them!

Questions? Statements? Advice? Criticism?

Please let me know in a review! I would appreciate it ;)

-GinIchimaru321


	9. Chapter 8: Cornered is Sometimes Best

Grrr, I hate being late in stuff like this...And I have no real excuse this time. Depression, laziness, and X-Box 360 is to blame! That and terrible writer's block for this cursed chapter, which rolled along smoothly until the end . I don't know.... it just never seemed right.

It's really sort of odd, though. While wallowing in self-pity about my chapter, I decided to clear out my Yahoo mail inbox. I was shocked to find so many dang story alerts and faves on this story that it made me instantly feel like scum for not updating faster. So I just sat down and forced myself to proofread for the hundreth time. In the end, a suitable ending for the chapter rolled along. I might not be overly satisfied with it, but I think I'm just being picky...

Again, it's not much, but don't lose faith. I tend to overthink or go too far ahead in my plot structure and end up frustrating myself like this. I promise the next update will be faster. Or at least longer. One of those two. *sweatdrops*

-GinIchimaru321

**Chapter 8: Cornered is Sometimes Best**

Retsu Unohana let out a small sigh. "Dear me, what to do..." she asked herself in her usual tranquil voice.

It was around this time that the respected Fourth captain usually took advantage of the little free time she had in her cramped schedule by sitting on the patio inside of her division courtyard. At night, the stars were in clear view, and their reflection, along with the moon's, shimmered in the waters of the miniature ponds spread outside the area. The bonsai plants rustled in any slight breeze, and the mood was usually one of peace and serenity that the senior captain took joy relaxing in as she sipped her cup of tea.

But tonight wasn't the case.

For whatever reason, Retsu had felt a strange twinge in her subconscious that immediately told her something was wrong. When she started to focus, she had sensed large concentrations of unidentified reiatsu bursting all over the place inside of the Seireitei. Further perturbed was Captain Unohana when she had detected a good amount of this reiatsu near the shinigami Academy. But she did not go to the Academy. Sensing a much closer group near her division, the healer had sent Isane to please get some word out to other divisions while she took care of the problem.

Her intuition had led Unohana to her current situation. Seated atop her gigantic one-eyed, manta ray-like zanpakuto Minazuki in front of a small group of arrancar that had tried to sneak inside the Fourth division compound. And small was definitely a good word for the invaders. There weren't that many at all, only a score* or so, and that alone disturbed the quiet woman. They were obviously under orders to infiltrate from the state of their reiatsu, and had managed to suppress their spiritual auras to the point that Unohana almost didn't catch them. But the fact that they were even in the Seireitei at all was the most worrisome thing on Retsu's mind.

One of the arrancar, a large bulky specimen, stepped forward while the captain was lost in thought.

"Hey, you! On the....er....thing!" he called out in a gruff voice.

"Yes?" came the meek reply from Unohana.

"Get outta the way or we're gonna kill you and that ugly beast you're on!" the arrancar snarled, drawing his jagged zanpakuto threateningly. Straight to the point, Retsu thought to herself. The gesture seemed to bolster his group's confidence, she noticed, because they all started to nod and unsheath their own weapons.

"I'm afraid that I cannot comply with your request" she answered softly and with a smile. "However, there is something I would like to ask of you. How did arrancar manage to get inside of Seireitei, during lockdown no less, unharmed?".

A cocky sneer formed from the leader's mouth. "Why should I answer you, shinigami?" he demanded.

"Well, I suppose that you aren't obligated to do so. But...." she let the word linger a moment before continuing "I am sure that there are plenty of others in your little party that can answer my questions"

The tone of her voice had darkened noticeably, and the leader felt cold sweat on his brow as a sudden invisible force seemed to compress the air around him. Attempting to keep up his leader-like facade, he gulped and dared to ask "What's that supposed to mean?".

Instead of answering the arrancar, the serene captain lifted up her left hand from her lap and gave Minazuki several firm pats.

The arrancar group had jumped at the sight of Retsu moving, but seeing her just touch her unusual transport miffed them somewhat. The arrancar leader turned to his men and pointed his zanpakuto at the fourth captain.

"So the wench thinks that she can just ignore us? That's it, guys! Get her!". Inspired by their leader, the small mob of arrancar cheered and all started to charge.

They started to at least. As soon as it had felt its master's hand touch its back, Minazuki's mouth slowly began to open.

The arrancar group had been too loud to register the initial sound that was coming from inside the leviathan's mouth. But as they had started their rush for Unohana, the sound suddenly hit them like a speeding car, and a sudden terrifying sight had caused all of the arrancar aside the leader to freeze in place. Mainly because he couldn't see what was behind him.

But the arrancar did notice several things that were odd. The fact that he was suddenly completely immobilized. That he and all of his men were suddenly bathed in an eerie yellow glow. And a demonic, cacophonous sound that could have been described as laughter was echoing inside of his head.

And the fact that his legs were now on the ground and his torso was flying upwards away from them.

A gigantic form rushed past the legs of the arrancar and flew straight towards the rest of his kin with terrifying speed. The others in the unfortunate arrancar's party had seen the tall being catapult itself from the mouth of Minazuki, covered in a blazing yellow aura like some sort of deranged meteor. That form turned out to be none other than Zaraki Kenpachi, long hair loose and wild as he tore into the unfortunate souls before him. His first one-handed overheard swing easily tore an arrancar diagonally in half from his waist to his neck, even though the creature had thrown up his weapon in defense. A burst of blood, and the body was pushed apart like a pair of saloon doors, allowing Kenpachi access to the rest of his quarry.

An evil smile that resembled a crooked crescent moon was plastered onto the captain's face as he turned and swung his zanpakuto all around him, killing several arrancar while his wicked laughter filled the survivors with terror. So much terror that even if Kenpachi's monstrous reiatsu wasn't practically drowning them, they would still be paralyzed on the spot.

The battle-raging giant slashed his zanpakuto before him in a bloody arc, taking out three arrancar's throats with frightening accuracy. He backswung at them again, and their torsos were split open like melons, sending them crashing to the floor like sacks of potatoes. On Kenpachi advanced, like a blood-drunk killing machine.

One foolish creature had attempted to move up his zanpakuto to block a thrust from the Eleventh captain. But so deadened were his limbs that all he had mustered from his weak arms was a feeble twitch. Kenpachi's jagged sword edge mercilessly sawed through the creature, and into another one behind him. When the vicious man had pushed forward a few more steps, he managed to skewer yet another arrancar before letting out another insane laugh and lifting all three bodies into the air. He swung his blade to the right, discarding the dead arrancar from his blade.

Another arrancar rushed at the eleventh captain and thrusted with all of his strength at his chest. But despite a direct hit, the blade made not even a scratch. Kenpachi let out a low 'Che' under his breath, then swung hiszanpakuto down low and then swiftly upwards with a forehanded swipe to sever his attacker's right arm clean off. A quick spin, and the arrancar's head rolled from his shoulders as Kenpachi booted the corpse over the wall.

Retsu Unohana watched the carnage, completely at ease even as blood splattered all over the wall near her and further still when a head flew past her right shoulder. She felt a bit of pity towards the creatures, but the gentle woman also had to remind herself that she had given them ample warning, and that defending her home came first. Still, Retsu couldn't help but wince as Kenpachi swung his zanpakuto between one of his opponent's legs and straight up, dividing the arrancar into two bloody halves.

"WAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Kenpachi cackled as he drove his head into one of his enemy's, killing it instantly "Come on, maggots! Can't ya even put up a fight?! I'm usin' one hand, aren't I?! And there's still plenty of ya to go around!!!". His declaration went unanswered, but it wasn't as if the giant would have heard them anyhow. He was too busy having fun decimating the remaining arrancar with his usual efficiency.

Kenpachi's left hand shot out and grasped an arrancar by the front of his uniform. Knowing that it was doomed, the wretched thing thrashed and bucked but to no avail. Effortlessly, Kenpachi hurled the arrancar like a baseball into one of his comrades, sending them both to the wall. The captain was in front of them in an eyeblink, and his zanpakuto began to repeatedly drive itself into his victims' chest. Again and again he stabbed them, their bodies racking and shaking violently with each thrust. The blade didn't slow even as it pierced through the second body and into the wall behind them. After puncturing the two several more times, Kenpachi let the arrancars he had turned to swiss-cheese slide slowly down the wall and he rounded back onto his remaining enemies.

Only now, it was down to two. Two, miserable, shaking, blood-soaked arrancar. They were on the ground before Kenpachi, kneeling pathetically and almost completely covered in their comrade's blood and insides.

The brutal Eleventh captain flashed his wolfish grin, lifting his zanpakuto up to his shoulder. "Alright then. Now...which of you two thinks you know more about this little invasion than the other?" he asked his prey, suddenly almost business-like.

As if on cue, both of the arrancar began to plead their cases, each throwing his friend to the proverbial wolf. Kenpachi chuckled at the display, not even really listening to either of the creatures. He glanced over his shoulder at Unohana, as if asking for her approval. When she slowly nodded, he snickered quietly before turning back to the two groveling spirits.

"So ya both think you're the smarter one, eh?" Kenpachi questioned, giving both a disarming grin. Both immediately started nodding. Back atop Minazuki, Unohana just shook her head, wondering if she should get between the captain and his fun after all.

"Alright, so that one wasn't specific enough" he decided aloud, tapping his shoulder with his bloody weapon as if in thought. "Means I gotta think of a new one...Lemme see...". A few seconds of 'pondering' later, and Kenpachi's face was struck with mock realization. The two arrancar were too nervous and excited to tell if the face was real or not.

"Okay, how about this one?" Using his foot, Kenpachi reached out and pushed a stray zanpakuto from a nearby disembodied hand between the two. Each looked at the zanpakuto before looking back at their towering tormentor, confused.

"Here's question number two: which of you wants to live?". Again, both tried to override the other with his declarations. But Kenpachi was getting bored with his little charade, and decided to get to the point.

"Which of you wants it more?" he growled, his cheshire grin becoming harsher. Before either could answer, the giant's zanpakuto swiped the air above them, severing the horns of the arrancar on the left. Both were instantly inclined to be silent.

"Question three is answered when one of you has the guts to grab that sword and kill the other" Kenpachi dictated bluntly. "If you can get the sword first, chances are you might live".

The two were stunned by the ultimatum, but seeing the man in front of them, soaked in their comrade's blood and with plenty of reason to end their lives, they didn't see much alternative. Each glanced at the other, and then down at the zanpakuto. Then at each other again.

"What do we do?" the one on the right whispered.

"I have no idea" the other trembled. "I don't think that we should try and escape from this lunatic...But I think I have an idea".

"What's that?"

But the arrancar didn't answer. Instead, he pushed the other with both hands onto his side. Stunned, the helpless arrancar could only watch as his 'friends' hands wrapped around the zanpakuto and jumped to his feet and hacked down.

"Sorry, fool! It's for the best! Now-" But before he could finish his sentence, or his attack, he stopped dead in his tracks. First, the foible of the blade fell off. Then everything past the hilt fell. A single red line spread from ear to ear on the arrancar's head, and then down the middle, crossing his eyes. Kenpachi's left hand pushed the arrancar backwards, and he fell to pieces before he even hit the ground.

While the lone survivor stared at the jumbled pile of flesh that was his partner, Unohana walked alongside Kenpachi.

"Not a very nice trick, Captain" she scolded, though her voice sounded far from disappointed.

"Che. You said that you wanted the weaker one, and I got 'im. What's the problem?"

While the Eleventh captain gave his defense, Unohana gently put her palm onto the arrancar's forehead. His eyes widened fearfully, and his body shook as the Fourth captain's spiritual pressure suddenly densified.

"You may not have known this prior to your invasion, but I am Fourth Captain Retsu Unohana" she began. "Did you know this?"

The arrancar shook his head, his eyes never leaving his captor's.

"Then you must not have known that I am head of the Fourth Division, and that I run all comings and goings inside of it. You see," she went on," my job, along with the rest of my squad, is the task of healing the wounded and sick, or having the displeasure of disposing of the deceased. And you definitely must not have know that I have seen perhaps some of the most terrible parts of this war just inside of my very own hospital".

The docile woman straightened herself and the poor arrancar felt as if he was being smothered by sandbags. "I've seen good warriors cry out in anguish, call out for loved ones, or have simply lost all will to live" she murmured softly "I have seen shinigami brought back to me in mangled states beyond recognition, from battle and torture. I have had young men and women alike die in my arms or had to experience the great sadness of watching them fall on the battlefield, fighting for a great cause. And the casualties never seem to lessen". Her fingers pressed firmly onto the arrancar's skull, and he let out a yelp.

"I am going to make this perfectly clear" she whispered icily to the arrancar, her eyes drilling straight into him "You may know something, and you may not. But understand this: my division isn't under the full jurisdiction of my Head Captain. And not all of my...'activities' are under surveillance"

The creature's eyes widened, the realization of the woman's threat spreading throughout his terror-stricken body.

"I am quite knowledgeable in the ways that a body works, as well as the mind" she continued, her voice once again sweet as honey "I know how a person thinks at almost any given time. And trust me, good arrancar, I have ways of getting information from unwilling subjects. Ways that would make even your beloved 'Aizen-sama' flinch".

There was a brief bluish glow from Unohana's hands, and the arrancar's eyes rolled back into his head as he fell backwards into a heap.

Kenpachi chuckled. "That's the ticket. Think that he'll have better information than the last few we've got?"

The statement filled Retsu with a small pang of guilt. She and Kenpachi, along with select members of both divisons, had been secretly doing operations such as this one for quite a few months now. They would capture arrancar secretly and smuggle them into Unohana's division out of sight of the other captains. There, she would forcefully extract information, with Kenpachi's help of course. Not all of the cases ended smoothly, and very little information was usually gathered. But Unohana, so tired of Yamamoto's stalling and lack of progress, didn't really care for the rules anymore. For every single shinigami who died each passing day for little more than gratitude from their home and no true results, Unohana was going to do her best to make their efforts worthwhile.

She knew that she was violating dozens of laws, of course, and that she and Kenpachi would likely face huge consequences if they were discovered. Both would possibly be stripped of their ranks, or worse. The thought of the possibilities that Yamamoto could have in store for the two captains made Unohana shudder. The cruelty of the man towards those who would oppose order was well documented by the wise woman, who still remembered the lengths he went to in order to execute Rukia Kuchiki.

Kenpachi's hand clasped onto her shoulder at that moment, and Unohana glanced over at the taller captain, whose face was scrunched in confusion.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked, a concerned frown on his face.

Her usual serene smile formed back on her face, and any traces of guilt were pushed aside as Unohana softly replied "Nothing at all, Zaraki. Let's hurry and get this one back to the division before other divisions start coming through to investigate"

That seemed to be enough, as the blood-soaked man shrugged and lifted up the unconscious arrancar easily by the scruff of its neck. "Alright then, let's get this bastard inside". Unohana nodded slowly in agreement.

As he walked by, he shot a smirk at the Fourth captain. "I take it there's no 'Us Time' again tonight, eh?".

The fourth captain's smile faded slightly "I'm sorry, Zaraki. I promise that we'll have some time together soon" Retsu offered softly, feeling guilty again.

"Keep puttin' it off and it might be too much to handle when things are ready" Kenpachi growled lustily, showing his fang-like teeth. Unohana stifled a giggle.

"Might I remind the Eleventh captain that he is supposed to be putting that arrancar inside?" she said in a mock-serious voice. The tall man snickered and continued walking inside of the Fourth division compound.

It was moments like those that Unohana enjoyed, despite Kenpachi's sometimes too-honest remarks. It was moments like that which reminded her that even if all of what she feared had happened, that even if she was imprisoned for life or stripped of rank or even killed, she wouldn't go it alone.

A certain someone would make sure of that.

XXX

It was stifling inside of the Shinigami Academy. But then again, most places become that way when a third of it is in flames.

The operation had gone very smoothly: Using the three shinigami students they ran into and Orihime's people skills, the other students and teachers were quickly awoken and evacuated to safety (far from Nnoitora of course). After an area had been completely emptied, Ulquiorra and Armando would blast parts of it away with cero. This was done not only to create more urgency in the next students that were rushed out of the building, but to also strengthen the illusion that the espada were fulfilling their mission. After all, it could not be helped if in the middle of Ulquiorra's purging that several captains came along and had forced a full-on battle to ensue, taking down the Academy with it.

At least that was Armando's planned excuse. And it made enough sense to go by, seeing as there were several captains stationed near the Academy anyhow.

"Miss Mao said that this hallway is the last one, Ulquiorra" Orihime called out as she ran back over to the pair of espada from a room at the end of a long hallway. The two stood patiently side by side and waited until the boisterous woman was in front of them.

Armando nodded. "Good. Then there are absolutely no more inside?"

"No, I checked inside all of the remaining rooms" the chestnut-haired girl answered "We got everyone out safely" Orihime's face seemed much brighter at the declaration, and it put both Armando and his father at ease.

"Very well. Armando" Ulquiorra intoned, so that Armando gave him a side-eyed stare "Start on the end. I'll take care of these, and we shall meet in the middle".

A quick nod, and the long-haired man started down the hallway, haori fluttering behind him.

Orihime smiled and hugged Ulquiorra's right arm, taking a moment to rub her cheek against it. "Thank you so much" she whispered.

"I need no thanks" came the seemingly impassive reply "I did what I swore to do. And that is to make you happy, no matter the cost"

"I suppose that's just your way of saying 'your welcome' " Orihime sighed resignedly, resting her head into her lover's shoulder. Seconds later, a strong arm wrapped around her and pulled her close. Orihime couldn't see it, but Ulquiorra smirked briefly when she yelped in surprise.

Armando shook his head, and turned back to the room he now stood in front of. Lifting both of his arms before himself, he brought them together and placed his palms side by side and facing outward. A dull hum filled the air as a bright, emerald-colored conic blast came from his hands and blew apart the room. Smoke and debris flew out from the broken entryway, but Armando was already walking to the next room.

He paused momentarily, as a foreign sound above him caused a slight _creak_ on the roof. Casually, the young espada glanced towards the ceiling, his hand cautiously resting upon the hilt of his zanpakuto.

Noticing this, Orihime tilted her head. "What's the matter, Armando?" she asked quietly. Ulquiorra also glanced at Armando, though he too tensed for any surprises.

Armando allowed a small frown to come over his usually neutral features as he surveryed the ceiling above him. The sound wasn't a product of his imagination, of that he was positive. And he wasn't quite sure, but Armando also could have sworn that he also detected a slight trace of reiatsu hanging around very, very close.

Unsure of what to make of the situation, Armando turned towards his parents to discuss the minor inconvenience.

At least he began to.

A gigantic burst of bubblegum-colored flame suddenly exploded over the young espada's head. Gouts of fire and practically the entire section of the roof came crashing down on top of him, and smoke and splintered wood engulfed the entire hallway. The force of the explosion rattled all of the doors and caused Orihime and Ulquiorra's robes to flutter.

Orihime let out a scream and started to run out to her son, but Ulquiorra's arm shot out in front of her, impeding her forward progress while his sharp vision scanned for the attacker.

Several seconds later, a cry of "Snap, Tobiume!!" rang out from the ceiling above the pair. There were two simultaneous blasts above the roof as a huge pink fireball flew down from the hole above the pile atop Armando, and another smashed through the roof above Ulquiorra and Orihime.

Ulquiorra's top-of-the-line reflexes sensed the attack before he even heard the obvious shinigami release. Wrapping his left arm around Orihime, the stoic espada quickly sonidoed out of the attack path, at the same time lifting his right hand from around her and pointing for the roof.

"Cero" he murmured. Ulquiorra's own powerful green cero flew from his fingertips and blasted more of the Academy's roof apart. Wood and stone rained everywhere, but none touched the Fourth espada or Orihime, so powerful was his spiritual aura.

And the seasoned espada was no fool. His hand quickly shot out to his side and he fired off yet another cero, and then another in rapid succession. The explosions of massive power shook the foundation of the area, but Ulquiorra did not relent. His eyes constantly shifted and adjusted to a different spot, and he would quickly fire at that area before searching again.

His consistency was soon rewarded. Tightening his grip around Orihime and taking off in another blur of sonido, Ulquiorra was atop the Academy roof in front of his attacker. Said shinigami jumped back in panic, brandishing her zanpakuto in front of herself.

"Judging by the badge on your arm, " the espada stated apathetically as he lowered Orihime gently to her feet,"you must be a lieutenant?"

Determined brown eyes glared at the espada. "That's right. Lieutenant of Fifth Division, Momo Hinamori". The short girl stood up straight and proud, no longer a broken, misguided wreck. Her expression was battle-ready and devoid of any weariness. Her black hair, once unkempt and dirty, was now neatly brushed and kept into two long pigtails that draped over the lieutenant's shoulders.

Ulquiorra placed his loose right hand back into his deep pocket as he pondered the name. "Momo Hinamori, you say? Interesting".

"However...." he murmured, letting the sentence trail off.

Momo placed her right foot back, slightly raising her heel and holding her zanpakuto Tobiume before her defensively. "However what?"

A hand suddenly shot through the roof tiles under Momo's foot, securing a tight hold around her ankle.

Momo's eyes widened and a small gasp escaped her as Ulquiorra calmly continued "...You miscalculated the quality of your opponents. A mere lieutenant does not stand a chance against an espada, let alone two".

"T-two?" the pig-tailed girl stammered.

On cue, Armando's full form pulled itself onto the roof, breaking through the stone like some sort of zombie. His iron grip did not loosen, much to Momo's discomfort.

"Yes, two. Myself, Cuatra espada Ulquiorra Schiffer. And the one holding your ankle is Armando Schiffer, Septima Espada".

Armando tossed Momo back a few feet so that he could stand straight. The female shinigami landed lightly on her feet like a cat, but her face was filled with fear at the odds in front of her.

The long-haired espada gave Momo's form a quick appraising glance before turning his head to Ulquiorra. "Shall I finish her? Or do I just incapacitate her?"

Orihime glanced up at Ulquiorra. "There isn't really a reason to kill her, is there?".

He was about to answer when Momo suddenly shouted "Now!!".

As Armando and Ulquiorra turned to react to the liuetenant's sudden outburt, both arrancar sensed a large reiatsu reveal itself behind them. They, along with Orihime, were then bathed in a crimson light as a huge blast of energy that came from seemingly nowhere flew at them from the sky.

"U-ulquiorra!" Orihime cried, tightening her grasp on the espada's sleeve.

Ulquiorra didn't even glance her way. "Armando" he called calmly, getting his son's instant attention. He suddenly tossed his lover, and the next thing Orihime knew, she was in the air with Armando's arms wrapped around her. Her ears popped as he blasted off with his dizzyingly fast sonido, and everything around her turned into a huge blur before suddenly coming to a stop. Momo let out a squeak when Orihime and the seventh espada appeared behind her.

"Ugh..." the chestnut-haired woman groaned, overcome with nausea. Armando placed himself before her like a shield, fixing Momo with a scrutinous, narrow-eyed stare as if daring her to attack. Not like Momo would dare try anyway.

His wife out of harm's way, Ulquiorra patiently turned back towards the energy ball that was now only mere feet from him. Taking his time, the fourth espada lifted his left hand from its pocket and stopped the attack in midair instantaneously. With minimal effort, Ulquiorra threw up his hand and the huge crimson ball went spiraling into the air, exploding harmlessly a few miles above.

The fifth lieutenant's jaw dropped at the terrifying spectacle. "Amazing...." Momo whispered, as Ulquiorra began to slide his unscathed hand back into his pants pocket.

The hand stopped momentarily, then shot back up to backhand a huge, serpentine skull that came from over the edge of the building with massive jaws about to chomp down on him. The strange beast let out a screech and crashed into the roof, caving that section in. Momo thanked her experience when she was able to easily keep balance from the tremor.

Seconds later, a tall red-haired man materialized a few feet from Ulquiorra, a bamboo handle in hand.

"Just where the hell d'you think you're going, you bastard?" Renji snarled, cracking down his right hand so that Hihio Zabimaru rose from the hole and began to coil slowly around him.

Ulquiorra let out a soft sigh and glanced casually over his shoulder. "A captain this time?" he queried somberly.

"You're damn right I'm a captain" the proud man responded "You got some nerve, arrancar. Espada or not, you don't have any right attacking students who can't defend themselves. I thought that even scum like you would have more honor then that".

Ignoring Renji, Ulquiorra turned back to Orihime and Armando, who still stood near a confused Momo.

"Orihime. Armando. We're leaving now"

Renji's hardened expression faltered. "O-orihime?!" When he looked around the Cuatra espada, sure enough, a familiar busty girl stared right back at him.

"Renji?!" Orihime exclaimed "What are you doing here?!"

"I could ask the same thing" the captain replied, now completely off-balance "What's going on? I thought that you were a prisoner!"

The young woman clasped both hands in front of herself in a begging motion. "Renji.... please run! Get out of here!"

The red-head was taken back at the sudden request. "W-what?" he stammered.

"Did you not hear her?" Ulquiorra butted in, turning back around so that he now fully faced Renji "She is telling you to flee. And I suggest, Renji Abarai, that you heed her advice".

Renji's face went from startled to furious in a heartbeat. "So you know me after all....And do you really think that I'm just gonna let you take her away without a fight?".

"It would probably be best that way" Ulquiorra stated, his blank stare locked onto the shinigami captain.

A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Renji head, but he didn't notice. "Why do you say that?" he asked coolly, his voice devoid of any shakiness.

"You are rather dense" the melancholy espada said bluntly "Very well, I shall put it in a different manner. You are implying that you are willing to try and seize Orihime from me by force?"

"You're damn right I am" Renji growled.

Ulquiorra showed no signs of emotion at the interruption. "How do you plan to do that, when even Ichigo Kurosaki could not?".

The obvious insult cut Renji's pride deep. "Just what the hell are you trying to say, espada?" he snarled, his reiatsu beginning to climb. He wanted to hear the words directly, not in some beat-around-the-bush style.

"Ichigo Kurosaki is many times the fighter you are in every sense" Ulquiorra stated coldly "If even he could not stop me, what chance does a second-rate captain like yourself have?"

Once again, Zabimaru's huge visage was right in front of Ulquiorra, mouth wide open and a deafening roar coming from inside. But again, Ulquiorra was far too quick, easily using sonido to sidestep the straightforward attack.

"How foolish" he murmured, as Renji suddenly appeared above him and roared at the top of his lungs "Hiko Taiho(Baboon Bone Cannon)!!"

The giant bone beast curled downwards and flung itself towards Ulquiorra's left side, its jaws opening as carmine-colored energy forming within. Then, from Zabimaru's open maw came another dense blast of spiritual energy as the head began to rotate. This time, it was much larger, easily the size of a small house. Parts of the roof disintegrated in its path as it came towards Ulquiorra.

Knowing that deflecting the attack would be dangerous to Orihime, Ulquiorra decided to ignore it completely. Instead, he took off once more using sonido, appearing atop Zabimaru's head. Hiko Taiho flew on wildly until it crashed into part of the upper Seireitei wall in a large explosion.

"Cero" Ulquiorra said firmly, pointing straight down.

Green energy formed at the espada's fingertips and came out full force atop the head of Renji's zanpakuto. Zabimaru wailed in agony as half of its head was blown apart, fragments of skull flying about.

"W-what?!" Renji paled as he watched his gigantic beast-like bankai thrash about wildly. His zanpakuto's pain filled his subconscious, and Renji reeled from the damage to his bankai.

There was a rush of air and Renji saw stars as Ulquiorra's right shin collided with the back of his head. He sailed into the air, and hit the roof at a roll. He got to his feet, stunned, and Momo was suddenly at his side with a quick shunpo.

"Renji! Are you alright?" she cried, taking hold of her good friend's arm.

"Just get Orihime!" Renji growled, tearing his arm away from her as he forced himself to stand up straight. "I'll show that son of a bitch who's second rate!".

Needing no second bidding from her captain, Momo took off using shunpo once more. She appeared alongside Armando, Tobiume's blade covered in pink fire. But it took only that small second that Momo took to appear for Ulquiorra to intercept her and clamp his vise-like hand around her neck. Effortlessly, he lifted her off of her feet, and tossed the lieutenant aside.

Renji attempted once more to take advantage of the Cuatra espada's lapse in attention. Abandoning finesse, the red-head lifted his arm and snapped it back down, using what was left of Zabimaru like a huge whip.

As Renji's giant bamboo beast was about to collide with its intended target, Armando was in front of Ulquiorra in a flash, his zanpakuto practically flying out of its sheathe and smashing into Zabimaru. With a flick of his wrist, the seventh espada deflected the weapon off to the side, forcing Renji to recoil it once more.

"This has gone on long enough" Armando commented casually, as he took a few steps towards Renji. "It is quite obvious that my father is playing with you. Why not just give up and help your friends at the gate?".

"Yeah, and let you get away with Orihime? I don't think so, bastard!" Renji snarled, his body hunched over in exhaustion. Momo reappeared beside her captain, zanpakuto at the ready.

".....If you wish to waste more time fighting, then perhaps I could toy with you two for a bit" Armando offered calmly, his stance unthreatening.

"You want us to do that so he can get away with Renji's friend?" Momo accused, pointing at Ulquiorra "Like we'd fall for that trick!".

Armando was quiet for a moment. Then, he half turned towards Orihime and Ulquiorra.

"Father, take mother back to Hueco Mundo while I handle these two" the espada requested. "It is about time that we retreated anyhow. Our work is done"

Orihime's eyes widened. "Armando?" The arrancar gave his mother a reassuring smirk, his voice lowering so that only she and Ulquiorra could hear.

"They will not die. And neither will I".

Before Orihime could say anything to the confident espada, Ulquiorra was already opening a garganta. He gave Armando a nod as his arm went around his wife and both stepped into the gaping hole.

"STOP!" Renji shouted. With a roar and another surge of reiatsu, Zabimaru's head actually began piecing itself together as it reared up like a gigantic cobra.

This time it was not Armando or Ulquiorra, but Momo, that stopped the captain. She grasped Renji by his sleeve and pulled him around so that he faced her. Stunned, Renji was forced to lower his reiatsu and, even more painfully, watch Orihime and Ulquiorra disappear as the garganta slammed shut.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Renji demanded, looking down at his much smalled lieutenant. To his surprise, Momo didn't back down.

"Renji! Don't lose your temper!" she warned "Even if you did attack them successfully, what would it achieve? You could have hurt Orihime!"

Renji glared at his lieutenant. "So I just let her get taken again?!" he practically shouted in her face.

"What else could have been accomplished?" Momo calmly asked him. "There's nothing that we could have done against two espada in the first place. All we can do is just survive and tell the other captains about this".

But Renji was hearing none of it. He turned away from his lieutenant and started towards Armando defiantly before she had even finished her last sentence.

"Don't you think I've gotten tired of people rescuing me by now?" he growled "I'm a captain, Momo. I shouldn't have to wait on others to get my work done for me. Those days are supposed to be over. Even back when I was a lieutenant, people always had to come to save my freaking bacon because I always came up short... "

Momo was filled with sympathy for her old friend, having experienced similar emotions. Flashes of her beloved Shiro-chan helping her in a bind made their way into her mind.

"Besides, I'll be damned if I have to tell Ichigo that I let Orihime get away without being close to death first" Renji went on solemnly, as he stopped several yards from his opponent. Behind him, the wounded Zabimaru continued piecing its skull back together, fueled by Renji's strengthened soul.

The garganta behind him now closed, Armando gave his full attention to Renji.

"So it seems that you fight me not only for your duty as a friend, captain" he said off-handedly.

Renji raised an eyebrow, unsure of how to respond.

"You fight me in an attempt to hopefully cure some growing inferiority complex" Armando finished, as he brandished his exotic zanpakuto before himself. "Such a weak resolve may be enough to will your zanpakuto back into the fight, but it is far from enough to defeat me"

Momo stood alongside Renji, her face determined. "Espada or no, it's two versus one now. Renji and I have faced powerful opponents together before, and we've always come out on top. Don't be quick to count us out, arrancar".

Armando chuckled softly, as he slowly tilted his zanpakuto's blade towards the ground.

"You are fortunate to have such a comrade, Renji Abarai. Be sure not to lose her in your childish endeavor to prove something to yourself". Without further warning, Armando shoved his zanpakuto through his stomach. The blade came out of his back through his long hair in a black-blooded burst, but the espada didn't even flinch.

"W-what the hell!?" Renji stammered, as he and Momo stared wide-eyed at the unexpected action.

But they were even more shocked at the sudden spike in the arrancar's reiatsu.

"W-what's going on, Renji?" Momo whispered, her face drenched in cold sweat and her eyes widened in fear.

Unsure of the answer himself, Renji grasped his friend's shoulder reassuringly. "Stand your ground, Momo" he warned. His firm voice was deceptive though, as cold sweat ran down his brow. Such power... he hadn't felt something like this in a long time.

The zanpakuto that protruded from Armando's back began to elongate, taking a slight upwards curve as the arrancar's dark blood slid down its blade. It stretched about twelve feet before coming to an abrupt stop. Then, slowly it began to split into eight seperate parts, as fragments of white and black bone began to cover each blade.

"Ensnare.... Araña" Armando commanded solemnly.

* * *

* A score is equal to twenty soldiers.

I know that I'm reaching here, but review, PLEASE. Any criticism or comments/ideas helps the creative process. While I'm touched about all the faves. a review makes a writer feel SO much better about themselves :D

-GinIchimaru321


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